6. Learning the Language, Learning the Ropes
Based on an interesting tip that I received from a casual acquaintance, I began checking out a one-year Israel program, which was sponsored by WUJS — the World Union of Jewish Students. The WUJS Institute, located in the town of Arad, offered college grads the opportunity to learn Hebrew in an immersion course — or ulpan — for five months, after which the participants would (hopefully) find work in their chosen profession.
[Note: Before anyone gets too excited about this program, I hasten to mention that the institute ceased its activities in the late nineties. Plenty of alternatives exist today.]
In any event, WUJS seemed like an excellent fit, and I was excited by the opportunity. In Houston, big oil was in a big slump, and I had been laid off from my position as a computer programmer. Therefore, I was free to make the leap in January 1983 and joined 50 other graduates from around the world who came to take part in the program.
A few words about Arad, a small city of about 30,000 residents in the high Judean desert, overlooking the Dead Sea:
· It gets bloody cold in the winter! I got used to wearing a winter coat — indoors and out.
· Sandstorms are a common phenomenon. Used to putting a nice shine on your shoes? Don’t bother. A fresh coat of polish will soon be covered by a fresh coating of dust.
· It’s small, isolated, and for some — boring. Big-city entertainment could be found in Tel-Aviv — a two-hour bus ride away.
The Hebrew-language instruction in the ulpan took place in the mornings, and sometimes in the afternoon. Progress, as with any field of study, was a function of aptitude and determination. By the end of the course, I remained dissatisfied with my speaking and comprehension levels, but they were good enough to leave the WUJS bubble and look for a job. I was a computer programmer in a pre-high-tech economy, and was fortunate to find work at the headquarters of a bank in Tel-Aviv. I rented an apartment in the city, and enjoyed spending evenings and weekends exploring my adopted hometown.
But there was a downside as well. Dark clouds were beginning to gather on the horizon…
