עברית לו פיקניק

For those who don't speak Hebrew, the title of this post reads, "Ivrit lo piknik," Hebrew for "Hebrew's no picnic!" One of our teachers, Sheron, says this on almost a daily basis. Here's a sample of one night of homework, studying for a quiz, the textbook, etc:

On the bright side, a few minutes ago I had my first entirely Hebrew exchange outside the classroom -- ordering a falafel from the stand around the corner from K'far HaStudentim. I was so excited to be putting my Hebrew to practical use! Plus the falafel was simply delicious :D (Although the pita was torn, so things got a bit messy!)

Also, a bit of a Hebrew funny for you all, which helps to explain what makes Hebrew so tricky.

In Hebrew...
she = היא (he)
he = הוא (who)
who = מי (me)
me = אני (ani)

It certainly keeps us on our toes!

In other news, today I met with my advisor, Dr. Alick Isaacs. He is just the sweetest guy! I spent a very enjoyable twenty minutes chatting with him and figuring out my schedule. Here's what I'm registered for -- most of the course titles are hyperlinks in case you'd like to read the syllabi (Miriam!).

Intensive Modern Hebrew -- Alick said that I should absolutely, no question take the intensive course if it was offered. I submitted my name as an interested party, so here's hoping so do 16 other people in my level! They won't offer it if there's fewer than that...cross your fingers for me :)
Jews in the Greco-Roman World in the Second Temple Period: Assimilation, Adapation, Resistance -- This course is looking at the same period I did in my first two religion classes at MHC, but with a Jewish perspective instead of a Christian one. I didn't technically have the prerequisite (one course in Jewish studies or ancient studies), but Alick approved me after hearing about what I'd done so far.
Perspectives on Islam: Religion, History, and Culture -- When I realized that Archaeology of Jerusalem would be a long shot (the wait list is twice as long as the list of registered students!), I began looking for another course, and my dad and I found this one. It should be called, "Issues in Islam that Grace Finds Interesting." Soooo excited.
Issues in Israeli Society -- Syllabus isn't up yet, but it's taught by Alison's advisor and she's taking it as well. I was turned off by the late timing (6:30 - 8:15 Monday and Wednesday), but I keep feeling so ignorant about current events and I'd love to know more. Plus if I have a friend to walk home with, it won't be so bad :)
The Battle Over the Bible: The Bible in the Eyes of Jews, Christians, and Muslims -- Alick said this class has a very Jewish slant, so if what I'm looking for is really a balanced view, it might not be the best fit. But he encouraged me to check it out, just to keep that in mind.

Largely because of the uncertainty of the last course, Alick also suggested that I attend other courses that I'm interested in just in case I decide to make some changes, and that way I can save myself some catch-up work. So a few other courses that I'm interested in and am planning on sitting in on during shopping week (what they call the week between the first day of classes and the add/drop deadline):
The Emergence of Biblical Israel -- Just discovered this one this afternoon. I think that it's closer to Michael's Old Testament class that I had wanted to take last semester. After spending a whole semester studying the New Testament (which, as Alick and I discussed, is a very Jewish text), I'd love to spend some time working with the Torah and the Old Testament.
From Jewish Jesus to Christianity -- Looking at Jesus from a Jewish perspective and discussing when the true split began between Christianity and Judaism. Not sure if it'll be too close to what I've already done in Michael's classes, though.

I wish I could take them all! As usual, religion-dork Grace cannot wait for the semester to begin so that she can take all those fascinating classes :)