Yesterday was a really good day. My Talmud class was somewhat frustrating, and even after a lot of energy expended, my chevruta (learning partner) and I still had real difficulty teasing out the argument in the passage we were studying. Yoga was good, though, and Ulpan (Hebrew language class) was great. I am enjoying it a lot and finding that more and more returns to me as I hear, speak, and read. Some of the strongest students in the class moved up a level which puts me on the more experienced end of the spectrum of the students left, so I'm sure some of my comfort is based on that--however, I'll take what I can get!

I think, too, though, that it's a real relief to study something so much more concrete after swimming around in the murky waters of the Talmud and the Rabbis. Hebrew language has a lot of irregularities, but it's an earthy, corporeal tongue, with a "root" system that evolves whole families of words out of a single shoresh, or three letter root. It isn't easy to learn, at least not in my experience, but it does hang together, and there are clear clues. If you know one root--the one in learn, for example, it can help you recognize the words for teach, teacher, to study, to teach, etc. My experience of Talmud is almost the opposite--what you know can just as easily confuse as clarify matters. The same word that means 'yes' in Aramaic means 'there isn't' in Hebrew, and the text in the Talmud switches between the two languages without clear markers. Pretty confusing.

So, after my happy Hebrew class, I got to Skype with Matthew, Miri, and . . . Elie! It was visiting day at camp, so Matthew brought his laptop and took the girls to Starbucks so that I could talk to Elie. It was so good to see and hear her! I've been missing everyone a lot, but I hadn't seen or spoken to her since several days before I left for Israel, so this was a real treat. She seems happy at camp, though the video chatting seemed to freak her out a bit. The rest of us are used to it, as I talk with Matthew and Miri almost every day. I think Elie is kind of a Luddite, though, except when it comes to her iPod. This is, after all, the teenager who likes 35 mm photography better than digital. Anyway, I was just thrilled to see the three of them together and know that Elie is having a good summer. After our talk, I met three of my favorite of my classmates for dinner at a great dairy restaurant in the German Colony, which is the neighborhood next to mine. It was a good meal, with wine and conversation, and afterwards I arrived back in the apartment to my newly fixed and operational air conditioner. All in all, a red letter day!

One of the things I've struggled with in writing this blog is how much background to give on the people I'm meeting. I think I've decided for now that since this isn't really private (though I can't imagine too much interest from readers who don't know me), I won't talk in detail about people here. I can share that the friends I've grown most fond and close with are a group of women, most of whom are in their late twenties/early thirties. They are mostly single, though not all, and none have children. It's odd, as there are some women (and men) closer to my own age here, but I seem to have either less in common with them or be drawn to (or draw to me?) this somewhat younger cohort. One of the women is my chevruta, or learning partner. What this means on a practical level is that when we study Talmud, she and I pair off to discuss, translate, and struggle with the text. Our classes each day have some large group lecture/discussion and some pairs work, so she and I are learning together each day.

The first few days each of us in the class rotated through working with several others, but then through a somewhat murky process, we sorted ourselves into pairs. It was a bit uncomfortable for me, as I thought this woman would be a good fit for me, but I was approached by someone else to be partners. I didn't really think he'd be the best partner for me, so it was a little sticky, but I did tell him I thought I had another partner lined up. Luckily, that turned out to be true when I talked with my chevruta. The guy seems to have found another partner who is working out just fine, but the process did feel stressful to me. In traditional Jewish learning, there's a lot of significance given to the chevruta relationship, and many people end up learning together for years. I have to admit that I do like the routine of it, and I already have a sense of the kinds of perspectives and strengths my chevruta and I each bring to the learning. I also just like her as a person, which is nice. Several other of my friends are also in the class with us, so that's nice, too.

As long as I'm giving some background, I guess this is a good time to fill you in on where I'm living. I am in Jerusalem, but south of both the more modern city center and the Old City, which is where the Kotel is. My neighborhood is Talpiyot, which seems pretty diverse and is bordered by some industrial type stuff. The neighborhood next to mine (sort of north of me, towards the city center) is the German Colony. I think it may have been settled by Germans, but it is now quite Anglo, with large American, Canadian, Australian, South African, etc. populations. There are also a lot of French, many of whom have made aliyah to Israel in the last few years. It's fancier than Talpiyot (which also has a big ex-pat population), and there are lots of restaurants and shops. Most of the restaraunts have menus in English (a very helpful aid!) and staff who speak at least some English. I end up walking there most days for dinner or to get coffee.

If you walk up the main drag in the German Colony (Emek Refaim), you eventually hit the walls to the Old City. I did that walk the Saturday I first arrived, and the hike there isn't so bad, but the hike up the snake path to the entrance to the Old City was quite a workout (think Rocky and those museum steps), so I am planning to go to the Old City tomorrow, but I'll be sharing a cab with friends. It will actually be the first time I've been in a car since the day I arrived in Israel. That's one of the interesting things about living here--I don't go anywhere or do anything that my feet can't take me to. It circumscribes things a bit, but it also means that my life is far simpler than at home. Good exercise, too! Still, I'm looking forward to the Old City tomorrow; I'll be visiting a jewelry store I've been excited to go to for a long time, and I'm hoping to buy some beautiful things for me, Elie, and Miri.

I'm also trying to figure out a quick trip to Tel Aviv for later this week--maybe Thursday evening to Friday afternoon, so I will sign off now to investigate transportation and lodging.