On Speaking in Hebrew
Last night, as well as the previous night, me and a few friends went down to the city center to visit a favorite pub and a nearby discoteque. Specifically, Rivlin Street is a destination for young Israelis, abroad students, and adventurous tourists. Zolli’s has a nice happy hour (Zol literally means cheap) and the dance club, Triple, is conveniently located. I’m really not a big fan of Triple - there are 3 skeezers to every girl on the dance floor, and many guys at the club are very pushy and relentless. All of this for a few minutes of dancing or a sloppy make-out. It’s also insanely hot and humid on the dance floor and the bar is expensive. For individuals like myself who are more interested in talking than yelling, or schmoozing than grooving, it’s not good vibe. Israelis sometimes call a place like Triple a pikabar, a misconstrued version of the American pick-up-bar. But, as I said, it’s really conveniently located. I’m still going to try avoiding Triple at all costs in the future.
Anyway, last night we ended up at triple with some Italian neighbors, neither of whom speak English. Sara and Keren speak pretty good Hebrew, and my Hebrew is now good enough that I can sort-of hold a basic conversation. This time around, I have only been in language classes for a month. Jeremy, earlier that day, had decreed that it was necessary for us to speak in Hebrew more, or even exclusively, in order to get better. We spent about 4 hours last night speaking in Hebrew and I really felt much better about my progress this morning!
Now, granted, the hardest part about speaking a new language is having the confidence to try and say all the things that you want to say. Often times, you have to ask for words or say things that imply what you’re trying to say. It’s a delicate dance, but a little courage loosens the fear of speaking in Hebrew.
