Celebrating the Trees and So Forth

So much has happened in the past few days--already, I've been here a week! I’ll begin with the myriad of celebrations for Tu B’shevat. Known as the “birthday of the trees” or “Jewish arbor day,” Tu Bishvat has become a holiday to commemorate the trees that will soon blossom in the spring (even though it’s still quite chilly here!). And by “quite chilly,” I of course mean that today’s low temperature was 60 degrees Fahrenheit. In any case, Tu Bishvat (the 15th day of the month of Shevat) is generally celebrated by eating dried fruits. Some people even have a seder meal, similar to the format of the Passover seder. One such seder was held at the multipurpose room in the dorms (the Mo’adon), with students from the University of Haifa, the Technion (another university nearby), and other young people in the area. It was very well attended, though I think that because most of it was held in English, it may have alienated some of the native Israeli students. In any case, I enjoyed experiencing this seder because I had never been to one before. Afterward, those who stayed did some Israeli folk dancing, which eventually turned into a weird European dance party.

The next day, I went with some friends into downtown Haifa to go to the supermarket. It’s incredible how many languages many of the products have on them! Here are a few examples of something I bought. I know it’s toilet paper, but it has English, Hebrew, Russian, and Arabic on the back, so I think it’s cool:



Friday, we had Ulpan class, even though usually we won’t (because the program started on a Tuesday and they wanted to fit in enough days of instruction). In Israel, the workweek is Sunday through Thursday. Since Shabbat is Friday night into Saturday, most people go out on Thursday nights instead of Saturdays because the next day is not the weekend anymore! During class, a professor at the University came to talk to us about the religion and culture of the Druze, to which he belongs. I find it really fascinating to learn about all the different diverse people in and around the area.

Friday night was Shabbat as well as Tu Bishvat. For the potluck dinner, a friend and I cooked pasta in my kitchen (read: hot plates and a refrigerator). The Kabbalat Shabbat atmosphere was really nice—everyone sort of hung around afterward and got to know each other. Saturday morning, for a great way to get in the spirit of the holiday, the international school had planned a hike through the Carmel National Park, which incidentally is right next to campus and beautiful! Here is a picture from the hike:



The Eshkol Tower is pretty much the defining architectural feature of the University of Haifa. Here you can see it from the National Park. Below, you can see it from the common area near the dorms:



Later that evening, the girls in the apartment all pitched in and we cleaned the kitchen and made ourselves a pancake dinner. Even without maple syrup, they were very delicious (Nutella is a great substitute, FYI). Then today, I had Hebrew class again. Even though on a daily basis I don’t feel my Hebrew improving, I was talking on Skype to a friend today and was surprised that I was able to keep up with her conversation. Hopefully, that only continues to happen!

Hebrew phrase of the day: “tavi keef” = give me five! (not a literal translation)

And here’s one last photo—right outside the entrance to our apartment on a beautiful sunny day: