Ulpan

So, I noticed that I never wrote about Ulpan when I was in it, but I did promise I would try and write a review about my experiences, so here it is.

Ulpan started right after we got to Israel (the very next day in fact). Monday-Thursday I had Ulpan from 8:30-1:30 and then on Sunday from 9:30-2:30. There are two breaks, the first for thirty minutes (which most people took as a lunch break) and the second for fifteen minutes. Sometimes, especiallt if you have a test, or a "fun" activity (which I will talk about in more detail later), the teachers change the breaks around.

And, as you may note, I said teachers. Every Ulpan class had two teachers, who either switched off days, or changed during the breaks. Usually, they talk to each other, so the lesson plans are well organized. However, sometimes the teachers do not communicate well and you end up repeating something or going too far ahead. Also, everyone I know preferred one teacher more than the other. My teachers had very different styles and personalities, but I liked them a lot. Michal was very bubbly and she always tried to make class fun and interesting. Nili was slightly more serious but she knew more about the states and was always including random tidbits. Both were excellent teachers overall.

In Ulpan itself, there are various students from all over the world. In our class we had people from the states, Canada, Brazil, Japan, South Korea, Israel (Arab Israelis on the Mechina program), Russia, Italy, France, and Australia. The class is an interesting mix of graduate students, undergraduates, people making aaliyah, and native students on the mechina program. The youngest person in our class was either 16 or 17 and the oldest was in her forties (I believe).

In Ulpan, you get to know your classmates fairly well, especially since they love to assign activities with random groups. You have conversations in Hebrew with your classmates, design advertisements, learn about their families, etc. After awhile, most of us found a single partner we usually worked with. My partner, Lisa, was also from UCLA and we got along very well especially since we had the same teacher and knew most of the same things.

When I first got to Hebrew University, I transferred down a level in Ulpan, from Bet (ב) to Aleph-13 (א), which was for more advanced students. I decided to go to a lower level because my vocabulary was not up to par. They use a different book here in Israel then I used in the States and since I hadn't used the book before for Aleph (and they assume you know the vocab) I decided to take the safe route. At times the class moved slowly, but a lot of people transferred down from various levels. The Ulpan teachers try to never speak any English (my Ulpan teachers spoke English on occasion, which made it easier for us to learn); however, the first class I was in, the teachers never said a word in English. It can be pretty intimidating at first, but usually they are good enough at pantomiming or another student will say the word in English.

The class itself is fairly straight forward. There is a weekly vocab quiz and often a week test. The vocab quiz consisted of fill in the blanks mostly and they give you the words. For the tests, we usually had a small text to read, a section on prepositions, verbs, grammar, and then a writing section. The format depends on your level; the higher you get the more grammar you are tested on. Sometimes they like to throw in trick questions, especially in the reading. You can't always copy down what is said word for word; you need to actually translate the passage to the best of your ability. However, the tests are usually straight forward.

The main test, the Level Exam, is also fairly easy. They make you go to another room and you have to have your ID card and turn off all cell phones. All bags are put to the side of the room and they give you a ridiculously long time to complete the test. If you pass, you move onto the next level; if you do not pass (a 65 or lower I believe for Aleph-Bet) then you go down to a lower level. Only three people in my class didn't pass the exam.

Anyhow, I guess that's enough about the basics, though I just realized I forgot to talk about the "fun activities" they have you do. First, our class had drama. A woman comes in and you get to read little dialogues with her. She also has everyone in the room say a line in a certain mood: happy, tired, drunk, etc. The worst part of drama was the improvisation part. Two people act out a scene (usually based on the dialogue you just read) and when she claps, you switch from Hebrew to your native tongue and then back again. It was hilarious if you were watching, but everyone who had to go up hated it. Luckily, I never had to do the improv.

They also take you on tours of the campus, all in Hebrew of course. The tours usually aren't too bad, but they can be a bit boring after awhile, especially since it's often hard to hear the tour guide (usually another Ulpan teacher). I had a tour of the campus, the botanical gardens, and the art on campus.

Lastly, you also go to lectures about the history of Israel. I went to two lectures, one about the history of the alphabet and writing and the other on the various architectural styles in Jerusalem. Neither was really that interesting.

And that, in a nutshell, is Ulpan. I had a lot of fun in Ulpan and met a lot of cool people but most of them have since left. Now, I am just starting the semester, with a new Hebrew class and new teachers.