"Woke up, it was a Chelsea morning..."

I'm not sure what a Chelsea morning is, but maybe this is it.  Crisp, cool, but with the promise of a clear day.  Birds singing, some squawking, and the far-off sound of human activity first embarking on the world.

And a lovely talk with my parents, the first significant conversation since my arrival. :)

I woke up at 6:00 am Israel time to speak to my parents at 10:00 pm Wisconsin time - dedication!  And definitely worth it.  Even though I've got plenty of time this afternoon to sit on the computer if I so choose, it was nice to get out of bed and start the day before everyone else.  Hey, just because I'm still in my pajamas doesn't mean the day hasn't started!

Last night we had a nearly two-hour meeting to go over all the various details of the program for which I took notes in French and repeated in thirty minutes to Esther.  I shall now add "Translator/Traductrice" to my resume.

I was also awoken a little past midnight to the loud music and party-like atmosphere that seems to accompany the Argentinians.  Sorry guys, but I had to tell you to shut up.  It was just too much, and the second night in a row, no less.

But today is a new day, fresh, beautiful.  Despite the blue skies and palm trees in my photos, you should know that it is still a little chilly.  Here I am in a thick sweatshirt and demi-gloves and I'm cold.  In the middle of the day it'll start to feel like a Wisconsin spring but it cools off greatly at night.  Basically what I'm saying is you can still be jealous, but not quite as jealous as you thought you had to be :P

I'm sorry, that was mean of me.

But you can't blame me for gloating!

Anyway, in other non-weather-related news, the teachers will be here on Friday to determine exactly which of the two levels of Hebrew each person should be in.  As for myself, I'm assuming I'll be in the beginning level because even though I know the Aleph-Bet (Hebrew alphabet) and how to write it, I know nothing about the grammar.  I suspect that after two weeks in the beginners class I'll be right at the same place as everyone else, and I fear that if I were to start in the advanced class I'd have a few gaps in my education.  I'm told, however, that I should trust these teachers, that they're quite skilled in what they do and know precisely how to work with a multi-lingual group.  From what I gather, the classes will be taught immersion style: entirely in Hebrew.  Wish me luck.

As for the jobs, we will get our assignments once they know which level of classes we'll be in, because the schedules for the two groups will be opposite one another.  We will have lessons five or six days a week (depending on the work schedule and other factors) and work about three days a week. On the days without work we'll have the entire afternoon free to do homework, study, get ready for the next day's class, and (if there's time) relax a bit.  Not sure how much time I'll have for blogging once the program really gets going on Sunday, but similarly there won't be much to report once our schedule is set.  But don't worry, I won't skimp on the details of whatever job I'm given because I'm sure my parents and many other people are waiting impatiently to see if I'll be doing the kind of manual labor that a city girl (really?  Manitowoc?) has never done.  I think they underestimate me.  They, apparently, just want to see me shoveling animal poop.

Other than that, not much has been happening.  Still waiting for a group of 11 people from Uruguay to arrive. Once everyone's here I'll give you the final count complete with nationalities.  Are you surprised to know there are only five Americans total out of nearly thirty?  Apparently we're not the greatest thing on Earth.  Who knew?

All ethnocentrism aside, things are just lovely here.  And I'm so glad to know that my friends and family are reading this, too.  I miss you and love you all!