Apologies

To all 6 of my loyal followers, please accept my sincerest apologies for my delay in posts. I have been extremely busy the past month, and have totally forgotten about my responsibilities to update you all on my life in Israel. (sarcasm)



First, I'll update you on work. It is going well, they love me here, and I'm actually doing some interesting things (sometimes). I just wrote a Standard Operating Procedure manual for product testing/inspection. All companies in the US should have them (I guess they aren't a big deal here), and we needed one to get our devices recertified by the KFDA (the Korean FDA). So it was a big project, which I did a pretty good job with (if I am allowed to pat myself on the back), but I think they should have hired an outside professional for it. In any case, its been a great learning experience. I've been in contact with doctors, physical therapists, and chiropractors from around the world who are interested in our devices. I've completely edited and updated the website (http://www.meditrac.co.il/ if anyone is interested), and am still in the process of redoing all of their user manuals, brochures, etc.



Volunteering. I volunteer every Monday at a 2nd chance high school teaching English. A 2nd chance high school is basically what it sounds like. Its for kids who either are kicked out of their original school, or have learning disabilities (like ADHD) and can't keep up with the work. I really like it. Its a totally different environment from American high schools (kids call teachers by their first name, there seems to be no discipline, 14 year olds are allowed to smoke..as long as they step off campus..teachers don't mind). Total culture shock. I have been assigned a class, and each week I work with 2 kids in the class, doing English in their workbook. And although I am helping them, they also help me in my Hebrew. It is verryyyy hard to communicate with some of them, since their English is at all different levels.



Hebrew. I'd like to give a special acknowledgement to Mika for being such a patient and dedicated hebrew tutor. As I've said before, Ulpan has not met my expectations (I've been in class two months and we still only learn the days of the week, counting to 10, and saying "I live in Tel Aviv, I work at ____, and I study hebrew at Ulpan). So every weekend, and usually one day during the week, I have been trying to knock out pages in my workbook, which she then checks. These private sessions have definitely helped, and I am getting much better at reading comprehension (albeit still very basic). However, its still hard for me to speak it and understand it when I'm spoken to (damn Israeli accents!!).



Now, it's time to turn this blog interactive and answer my reader's questions. First (and only), I will answer Greg's questions from the previous post (although I'm sure I've answered them when I talk to you). I have STILL not been to the mall here. I have decided not to get a new rain jacket. I am pretty sure the rainy season is over. It's practically summer now, which is totally opposite from Florida summers (they are both hot, but there isn't a thunderstorm every afternoon here). And in the same breath...there was a hurricane here for Purim. It rained for like 4 days, and it was chilly. Literally, the wind was so strong, that the rain was falling vertical. I dressed up like a cowboy (Yeehaw!). Unfortunately, we were not told to buy tickets to bars/clubs in advance. So no place would let us in. So we ended up walking towards an area of bars (hoping to get in somewhere), when the skies opened up on us. We darted inside to Max Brenner, which is a (famous?) chocolate restaurant. So we waited there for a few hours drinking hot chocolate. So overall, my vote is for Halloween. Haha, but I guess I can't make that decision until I experience a real Purim. They take it seriously here. School is cancelled for like 2 days, there are a ton of parades, a weeks worth of partying....quite the experience.



I can't believe I've been here almost 2 months already!! Time has been going wayyyyyyy too fast. It is actually time to start applying for jobs after this experience is over. I will be applying to places both in Israel and back in the States (I'm an equal opportunity apply-er). That being said...I think it's time to get back to work.....Hope everyone is doing well, and since Miami didn't make the tournament (shocker)....GO BUCKS!!!!