When driving back to Tel Aviv from Rishon Le’Zion last week, I noticed a massive billboard recently erected announcing the world-wide “Nike Human Race”.

My exact words were, “What the hell is that?”. I took a mental note of the website and checked it out the next day.

WELL…. 25 cities around the world will participate in a group run sponsored by Nike on August 31st. I was a little surprise Tel Aviv was included but then again, it’s an amazingly vibrant city that (I think) is quickly finding it’s place in the world as a leader in the Middle East.

At any rate, I saw immediately that Chicago is a member of the 25 cities who are participating which gave me even more initiative to participate here in Tel Aviv. Chicago represent!

As some of you may or may not know, I’ve done a bit of running in my time. Since I quit smoking last year, I’ve fallen in love with running all over again. Unfortunately, I haven’t run a marathon since my army days. The last marathon I finished was a 15k (9.3 mi) at the sprightly age of 22. Well, add a few years, knock off a few kilometers, and here we are facing a 10k (6.2 mi) in a month.

Since arriving in Israel a few months ago, I’ve been running 4 kilometers (2.5 mi) 2-3 times a week along the Mediterranean without too much effort. My motivation was mostly for stress release and absorption of the beach’s beauty. But now I’ll have to push myself harder if I want to survive a 10k. My plan is simply to run 5 day’s a week at progressively longer distances for the next 4 weeks.

Why am I doing this you ask? hmmm… well, I’ll get a race day t-shirt (cause God knows how much I LOVE wearing corporate logos), Nike will donate a few bucks to one of three charities I chose (Lance Armstrong Foundation, The UN Refugee Agency, or, World Wildlife Fund), and most importantly, I get bragging rights for running a world wide marathon in Tel Aviv!

They’re supposed to have live feeds of each city online on race day. I’ll keep everyone posted with my progress and more info once the day gets closer….

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I’ve noticed quite a few people finding their way to this site because they’re interested in more information about Ulpan Gordan in Tel Aviv, Israel. I’ll consider this post as part one of more to come.

As a student in Ulpan Gordon, I thought I’d post a few bits of information you might not find elsewhere.

Right now, the Education Ministry in Israel is attempting to shut down most of the ulpans across the country. It’s rumored that Gordon will stay active. See the article in Haaretz here for more information as to why they’re closing.

Gordon is starting to see an influx of students who are commuting into Tel Aviv because of the closures and therefore, I believe, the school should be providing clearer information about the school. Unfortunately, most of the information online is outdated.

Here is the most recent and accurate contact information:

Ulpan Gordon
7 Lasalle St, Tel Aviv 63409
Telephone: 03-5223095, Fax 03-5242884
ulpan.gordon@012.net.il
hadas.goren@012.net.il

The pamphlets provided by the school haved not been updated to reflect a change in the classes. Gordon has added a course of study designed for tourists or non-immigrants. All of the intensive classes currently offered are listed below:

Tourists/Non-Immigrant/Olim Wanting Short Study Grade A (aleph) (The class I’m currently enrolled.)
3 months, 4 days a week (Monday-Thursday)
9:00 am - 12:50 pm
Cost: 2100 shekel (Approximately $580 USD)

5 months, 5 days a week (Sunday-Thursday)
8:15am-12:45 pm
Grade A & B (aleph & bet)

6 months, 5 days a week
17:00-20:15
Grade A (aleph)

Beginners class (Level A/aleph) start every month according to demand. Right now the demand is very high at Gordon because of other ulpans closing.

If you need more detailed information regarding the cost of the longer classes, don’t be shy to call the office directly. I don’t think they respond to emails quickly (if at all) so it’s best to just dial the phone. They may be a little gruff but will relay all the information you need to decide which course is best for you. Don’t forget to adjust for the Israeli time zone!

Five Tips When Starting Kita Aleph At Ulpan Gordon

1. Learn the Hebrew alphabet before you arrive!

Do yourself a favor and start the course with at least this knowledge in hand. Be sure to learn the block letters and handwritten (or cursive) forms. You’ll only learn how to write in the handwritten form but will also be expected to read the block form too. Two websites demonstrating block letters are here and cursive is here.

2. Sign up for your class at least one month in advance.

The ladies on the phone might tell you that you can show up a week before the class starts and walk right in. This is true, ordinarily. But are you willing to run the risk of showing up and not having a seat?

With the ulpan structure changing in Israel, the classes are filling up FAST. If you have a friend or family member in Israel, provide them with your passport and credit card number to enroll you in advance of your arrival. Otherwise, you’ll have to wait for someone to drop out of the course. Trust me when I say that you don’t want to wait for someone to drop out. If you’re starting with little to no knowledge of Hebrew when you arrive, you’ll need to start from day one. Missing even a few days of class will put you deep into the clueless zone.

3. The book costs extra.

Yeah. It irked me too. After two weeks, we were expected to purchase a workbook for 65 shekel. Don’t let this come as a shock (like it did for me). Every teacher has their own workbook preference so I won’t bother listing the name of mine here. I do know that the ulpan will sell the workbook to you much cheaper than a bookstore will. Don’t mess around and just buy it from Gordon.

4. Be prepared to study.

Just showing up to class isn’t enough. It’s an intensive course. The key word is INTENSIVE. The three month course is essentially a condensed version of the five month class. If you want to stay afloat, you’re going to need to study. If you already know how to read Hebrew, then you’re a huge step ahead of a lot of students. If you don’t know how to read Hebrew or have never spoken Hebrew, be prepared to clock some after school hours. For some it’s a piece of cake. For others (like me) it takes a lot more effort.

5. 30 minute break starts at 10:00 am. Bring shekels for coffee!

This may be the most important tip of all. By the time you reach your 10:00 am break, you’ll be feigning for more caffeine. Strangely, no amount of caffeine prior to class is enough to prepare your mind for the first hour of class. You’ll inevitably need more. There are two automatic coffee machines in the first floor. One is two shekels and the other is three shekels per cup. I suggest taking wich ever line is shorter as I haven’t found much difference between the two machines.

Write to me via the contact link at the top of this site or write me at jami0821 at gmail dot com with any questions you may have.

You can also subscribe to post updates via email here.

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I’m having trouble posting videos for everyone. I’ve discovered it has something to do with this particular theme’s coding. Seeing as how I’m a little impatient these days when it comes to CSS code (I’ve got better things to do than spend the next two days hacking away at it), I may find an alternative visual theme to present my material.
** See edit below.

I know, I know. I’ve changed the aesthetics of my site at least five times since I started blogging in 2005 (yes, it’s been that long since I started posting updates…. first on Myspace and then here.) Needless to say, you should be used to the constant transformation that is americanbabble.com.

I’ll also update my publishing platform to Wordpress 2.5 in the next 24 hours which may or may not crash the site for a bit. This may be the one time that I’m grateful for the vast time difference between Israel and the U.S. If I do everything correctly, you’ll still be sleeping by the time I get things running smooth again (assuming you’re reading this from America, of course).

** EDIT at 6:45 am CST: I’ve successfully updated to a theme that supports videos. (See the post below.) Yay! Enjoy.

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