OMG! Haber dagim katim b'yad sheli!

How intense must a five hour Hebrew class be if it induces a headache!? Magically, the ache in my head disappears after stepping out of class. I can feel my brain burning as we go through. Literally...i can feel it. It is stressed out. It is saying..."mikey, ma at ovsah? What are you doing?! It is going to melt. I made a list of all the words I am supposed to know so far and the list covers the front and back of a sheet of Israeli notebook paper (8.5x12). So, today i had a Hebrew brain explosionnn! By the way, I really need index cards.

Next...onto fish.

Yesterday, I had to work with the boys outside. The crew in the fish factory were out so I worked in the mud ponds and helped the boys catch big koi with the net. It was hard labor but the day went by fast and I got to meet some new people. Now, when I say mud pond what I mean is a pond FULL of mud. When I stepped in the pond, I sank down mid-shin in the mud. I nearly fell on my face three times. Every time I took a step it was like moving through quicksand. (Full Disclosure: I have never experienced quicksand). the mud smells of sulfur and fish poop. Did you know that fish poop has a smell? One might not think so because usually there is a substantial amount of water to cover the smell. Not at my job! Today I had to put all my clothes in the laundry because they smelled so badly of kaki shel dagim (fish poop).

Today, I worked inside. I got to sort goldfish. I learned how to sort them by size and color. I also learned how to clean out the tanks. Poor goldfish. Any goldfish that were the wrong color or who were sick got pulled out and put in a tank which gets taken to the zoo. The fish get eaten. Poor fish. But at least they don't go to waste. My boss, abigail (pronounced ah-bee-guy-eel) said it was like hashoah for the fish. Hashoah is the holocaust. Again with the irony of life. That wasn't meant to be funny...

Quick fish fact...both koi and goldfish are members of the carp family. However, if you leave koi in a pond without controlling the reproduction, they will revert back to wild and unpretty carp in only two generations. Goldfish take five generations. Ta-dah.

I am so so ready to have some quiet alone time. Only 4 months and 3 weeks to go until I have my own room again. I am finding that Americans have a pretty bad rap in these parts. People commiserate about how fat we are, how loud we are, how stupid we are, how we have a terrible accent, na na na. They say all this knowing that you are American while you stand next to them. It is unfortunate and isolating. What is more ironic is that I am one of the quietest people here.

I am feeling a little homesick today. Can you tell? I miss my family. I was thinking about Grandma's beef vegetable soup and the fact that it is Tuesday and I would normally be at her house. I miss home.

Tomorrow is tu b'shvat. To celebrate we had figs and apricots in the office today. Tu b'shvat tov!