Birthday, Ulpan, Mezuzos

Actually the title should be "Ulpan, Mezuzos, Birthday" but in this country you read right to left.  Ha! A little Hebrew humor for you.

Today we went to the Ulpan Test to see what class we should be in.  We received an email weeks ago that the test started today at 9:00 am and that is when we should arrive.  So we arrived a bit early, at about 8:40 am.  First of all we had to practically be Magellan to find the right building - there was a teensy flimsy paper sign telling you where to go and today was incredibly windy so it was flapping around and we didn't see it.

We get to the room and it is already full of people taking the test.  What?  What was that about 9:00?  We still can't figure it out.  So we sit down and are given a 5 page test.  The first three pages are stories which we must read and then answer questions.  The first story was easy shmeezy.  The teacher came around to see how fast we did page one and she smiled at us. "Wow, I'm thinking, they are probably going to tell me to just go home because what am I even doing there, being such a Hebrew expert!" 

Then I got to the second page.  Oh.  The next story was harder. 

The third was really hard and I couldn't even understand one of the questions.

Then there are two pages of conjugation - making singulars to plurals, pasts to presents, etc. 

By this time, from the conversation going on in the room we figure out that the people who are really at ground level can just go home and come back the next day to start Kitah Aleph.  We, they say, are in Kitah Bet.  OK, sounds good.  BUT....they say.  Oh no, here we go - they are going to tell me that I can't come back until my washing machine is fixed or my faucets are installed or something.

BUT, they say, there are really not enough students for Kitah Bet.  So please come on Wednesday at 8:20 and we will decide what to do.  We may just have two days/week of Ulpan instead of five if there are not enough students. Whatever.

Then we go to a Judaica store to buy mezuzot.  I found this terribly emotional.  I mean, we are living in Israel buying mezuzot for our HOME HERE!  WHOA! 

When we came home we found out that the kablan's guys were ready to install our fancy shmancy bathroom vanity.  Now here's a good story.  We were not told that we were getting a vanity.  Apparently the site manager was supposed to tell us last year at some point but he never did.  Since we thought we were only getting a sink, we (and Gila & Donny) ordered a large mirror and had the tile work done in the bathroom to fit around this specially made mirror.

Then the vanity gets delivered.  And guess what?  It has a lovely mirror and small medicine chest attached to it.  HUH?  No one even showed us a picture of this.  Now we have an extra mirror lying around.  Offers accepted until midnight tonight.

And finally, today is Leezy's birthday.  Happy birthday, Leezy!  Nice to be here and in the same time zone so I can call you in the REAL morning, not the US 3:00 pm morning.