After reviewing all of my journal entries and comparing all of the different programs I used and the means to which I self-directly taught myself Hebrew, I cannot help but feel a little impressed with myself. I have never had to teach myself a language before, and although my professors in the past have made it seem easy, in actuality, it is not at all! It is really interesting for me to see how my learning progressed over time and how my ideas concerning how to go about teaching myself Hebrew also changed. In the beginning, I thought I would simply be able to review YouTube videos, look over a Hebrew translation book, and download a program that helped me learned vocabulary. But in the end, my learning consisted of much more than that, and there were many times were I thought that I was not even getting anywhere. In fact, after the first two weeks, I could barely introduce myself in Hebrew, which needless to say, frustrated and stressed me out to no end!

Overall though, despite the frustration and casual throwing of one of the Hebrew books that I bought, I really liked the self-directed language structure. It was something completely new and different for me and I really had no expectations before starting the course. I knew it was going to be hard and I knew I was not going to walk away from the class completely fluent in Hebrew, but my goal was to learn as much Hebrew as I could, and I definitely think that I accomplished that goal.

In addition, this course also helped me to realize how much goes into learning a language. It is not just about grammar, vocabulary, sentence structure, pronouns, etc. it is also about learning the culture that the language is used in. I have never been to Israel before, nor have I ever read a book or article about it until I took this class. However, if I ever want to truly be able to converse in Hebrew, it is important that I learn about the Jewish culture and the customs and traditions of those who speak it. That being said, I actually really enjoyed doing the cultural project. While I contemplated for a few days which topic I wanted to do my project on, I eventually came to the conclusion that I wanted to do it on bereavement practices in Judaism; a kind of morbid topic , I know, but one that I actually found to be very interesting. So, by doing these cultural projects and reading all about Jewish customs and traditions on my own, I really got a sense for what the Jewish religion is all about.

All in all, I really enjoyed this class and all that I have learned. The skills that I have learned will definitely be useful in the future, not just when it comes to learning languages but with self-directed learning in general. I needed to discipline myself night after night to ensure that I accomplished whatever goal I had for that day. I did not have a professor checking up on my progress or homework to turn in for a grade. I essentially was on my own and it was a lot harder than I anticipated, but it was worth it J. Looking back, I still wish I had had a language partner who spoke Hebrew to help me along the way. I think that he or she would have been able to guide me and to help me organize what I should learn and the order in which I should learn it. However, not having a language partner just ultimately met that I really self-directed myself when it came to learning Hebrew, but I end this course knowing how to count to ten, greet others, introduce myself, talk about my interests and recite vocabulary about family and professions. So, in the end, I am satisfied with my progress and am happy with what I have learned.

I have mentioned this throughout many of my journal entries already, but just to reiterate, I have only been out of the United States once in all of my 22-years. Call me sheltered or call me fearful of taking on new cultures and to be honest, I do not think I can disagree with either of these criticisms.

When I was given the choice to decide where I wanted to study abroad for the fall of my junior year, hands down I wanted to go to Australia; no questions asked. I am not going to sit here and pretend that the fact that the Australian culture is very similar to that of American culture
had absolutely no influence on my decision; that would just be a lie. Therefore, when it comes to discussing cross-cultural experiences, I would not be a good example to use, and to be honest, I am not okay with that :( .

I would not change my decision of going to Australia for anything, but I do regret not giving Europe a chance. Many of my friends were privileged enough to travel to so many cities and experience so many different cultures and customs and while I still learned a lot from my experience in Australia, I cannot say that I had the opportunity to experience multiple different customs and cultures. Other than the fact that Australians are not as fast-paced as
Americans and that they find it rude to tip at restaurants and that their beer is nearly three times as expensive as ours, their culture is overall very similar to America.

In the future, I would definitely love to travel to Europe if I am ever given the opportunity. I think it is so fascinating to immerse oneself within a culture with which one is unfamiliar; you learn more than you could have ever imagined! I mean let’s be honest, the best way to learn a
language or about another country’s culture is essentially to visit there and experience it for yourself. I mean of course you can always read about these different customs and cultures in a textbook or online, but it is definitely not the same. I think it is fun to learn languages and to learn about how other people live, which is why I can only hope to one day expand my cross-cultural experiences and familiarize myself with different cultures and customs.

• Israelis are very "tachlas" - that is bottom line oriented. Whenmeeting another Israeli, they will often go straight to business.Sometimes there is not even a "hello, how are you."
• In Israe, they dress down. That is, most business people can be seen wearing jeans and maybe dress pants from time to time. The factors forthis have their source in that Israel weather is very hot andunforgiving. We try to maintain being physically comfortable.Just a few decades ago, the average Israeli wore nothing morethan shorts and sandals. Israel is also a high tech society, andas such we have taken on the dress code of Silicon Valley - jeans.
• Keep at arms length. Israelis act as if they are in a family. Close distancebetween two people is the norm. Hugging, touching - one can evensee young females holding hands as they walk down the street -and they are not lesbians.
• Many in Israel do not use business cards - culture in Tel Aviv, Haifa and Jerusalem is just too informal.We go by addressing people by their first names.
• In Israel, you can always expect a friendly and real invitation for sharingcoffee as a meeting begins.
• In Israel, if you are not a tourist asking for directions and you make verbalcontact with a stranger, he or she will most likely give you anawkward look followed by "me ata" or asking in English"who are you"? Also many Israeli's will not feel comfortablediscussing very personal or intimate subjects or problems withyou - i.e.- their marriage, sex, divorce, medical problems andarmy service (prohibited by law).
• When getting ready to enter a bus or any crowded area (i.e. - bank, post office,restaurant or open marketplace) we don't expect those from Israelto form a line. This is where you are expected to use the gentlenudge of your elbow to enter. If you wait - you will be last!
• Israelis are a very passionate and expressive breed. As such, if they raisetheir voices, this is how many Israelis normally communicate withone another. The Israeli can yell and scream at a colleague onemoment and a few minutes later be seen hugging the guy. If theIsraeli speaks in a low tone and smiles for hours with you - itmeans he is not being real, honest and relaxed with you!
• During a meeting the Israeli may take telephone calls and allow othersinto his office or the meeting room. Interruptions such as theseare common in Israeli culture - do not take it as being rude,impolite or arrogant. This is a very informal society, where thosein Israel are expected and able to do many tasks at the same time.
• Israelis are a very warm and friendly people. When they invite you to theirhome or out for dinner - they are not just being polite - theyare displaying sincere friendship. When they say "stop byat any time" - they truly mean it! Accept the invitationand create a good personal relationship. Remember, in Israel,relationships count just as much if not more than a solid commercialportfolio. Unlike many other cultures, substance, not style takesthe lead in Israel. When coming to someone's home, good giftsto bring are flowers, chocolates or a good bottle of wine.

While I will admit that the readings in the book are becoming a bit more interesting, I am still not completely sold on it. As a result, this week I focused mainly on the packet that we were handed in class that talks about verbal communication across cultures and essentially, how every language differs in their expressions, social cues, etc. It was interesting to read about all of the differences in verbal communication especially because this is not something I have ever really experienced, or to be honest, ever really thought about.

I have only traveled outside the United States one time and that was to Australia. Let me give you a hint: I mainly went to Australia because they speak English and their country is the most like America than any place else. I am not good with change and adaptation if you could not tell J . So, although I spent around 5 months in Australia, I cannot really say that I experienced any communication barriers or differences in language expressions. There were a few things here and there, such as not tipping at restaurants because it is thought of as rude and I also was surprised at how slow-moving things seemed to be. Everyone was always relaxed and it was almost as if time really did not matter. Most of the students were on time for class, but if someone walked in late, it was never an issue. I distinctly remember one class, which was 50 minutes long, and a student walked in with only 10 minutes left. There were only 8 of us in the class so it was not as though her ‘fashionably late’ appearance went unnoticed, but in the end, the professor let her sign-in so she would get participation points and continued the rest of the lecture. If only that worked here at Richmond J

I have never been to Israel and I do not know much about their language expressions and social cues, but I can only imagine that they are probably very different than those found in the United States. Reading over the packet and reviewing the differences between indirect/high context cultures and direct/low context cultures, I would say that Israel is probably a highly contextual culture. Although I do not know for sure, from what I have studied thus far, it appears that the language and culture is more focused on leaving things unsaid and instead, letting the culture explain what is meant by a person’s actions, expressions, or use of words. In addition, from what I have studied, Hebrew words and word choice is extremely important. And also, high context cultures have a strong sense of history and tradition therefore it is logical to associate the Hebrew language with such a group. I learned about the history of the Hebrew language last week and although some changes have been made over time, the history of the Hebrew language is rich and much of their tribal and native societies still exist.

That being said, last week in class we also established that English is a direct/low context culture. I think that it is very obvious that our societies have come to place more emphasis on the idea of the ‘individual’ rather than the group. Likewise, because people leave independent lives, there is less of an innate understanding of others. We talk and we use words to try to convey what we are trying to say and that is the end of it. We take what is said at face value, rather than trying to figure out if there is a hidden message behind the words or words choice that people have used.

Because I do not know a lot about the Israeli culture and their specific social cues and expressions that are commonly found among the people who live there, it would definitely be in my best interest to learn more about this topic. Although I am not planning on traveling there anytime soon, it would be nice to eventually go there, and when that happens, I want to know as much about their culture and language expressions as I can. After all, gestures and expressions that we may find appropriate, they may frown upon and the last thing I want for myself is to be looked down upon and disrespected for not knowing the language.

When I first thought about what I was going to write for this journal entry, I did not think that I would have much to say. Honestly, at first, I did not really see why it would be beneficial to know about a language’s history. However, as I began researching the history of the Hebrew language, I found that it was actually very beneficial information that I was learning. Learning a language’s history essentially gives you a better idea of how that particular language evolved and most importantly how it has changed over time. Every minute of every day I am using the English language and yet, I never stop to think about where the words came from or how the entire concept of the English language and its structure came to be. When I think about it now, it is actually really interesting how languages develop and how each one is so different from one another, yet similar at the same time.

I found a lot of useful information while I was researching about the history of Hebrew and how it developed over time. For instance, I had no idea that there are two different dialects of Hebrew, Ashkenazi and Sephardic, Sephardic being the dialect that is spoken in Israel today. Also, the Hebrew alphabet has no vowels and most things written in the Hebrew in Israel are written without vowels. However, they do use features which are referred to as nikkudim. Nikkudim, which means points in English, were developed after Romans expelled the Jews from Israel. At that time, the rabbis believed that the Hebrew language needed help when it came to the pronunciation of words and sentences. As a result, they developed a system of dots and dashes which they referred to as nikkudim. These dots and dots are found either below, above or inside the particular letter of the alphabet and are used to indicate vowels.

Here is a table that illustrates some of these vowel points.

Also, while researching the history of the Hebrew language, I was surprised to find that very few English words come from Modern Hebrew vocabulary, but there are many words that come from the Hebrew of the Bible. For example, amen, hallelujah, and hosanna are common Biblical words used in English that actually come from Hebrew. In addition, because the Hebrew alphabet differs so greatly from the English alphabet, I would never have thought of the possibility of confusing words written in Hebrew for certain English words. However, as I have been learning more Hebrew vocabulary and familiarizing myself with the Hebrew alphabet, I have found that there are some Hebrew words, that although sound like a common English word, they actually have completely different meanings in Hebrew. For instance, in Hebrew, the word mi, which is pronounced like the English word “me” , actually means who. In addition, the Hebrew word hu, which is pronounced like the English word “who”, actually means he. And one more word that I found was the Hebrew word bageleh, which sounds like bagel, but actually means pretzel in Hebrew.

Overall, I would say that my research on the history of the Hebrew language was very successful. It is very safe to say that I learned a lot of new information, but that could also be because I have never known anything about the Hebrew language, or Israel for that matter, before taking this class J.

Honestly, this week has probably been the least productive for me thus far. I have been sick for the past few days, so I have not been able to spend as much time practicing Hebrew as I would have liked. However, for this week we were supposed to have read pages 96-158 in Crystal’s book. While I am trying very hard to get into the book and to learn from it and from everything the author talks about, I still cannot seem to motivate myself to at least try to enjoy the readings. Overall, I have not found the book to be very helpful, but hopefully, this will eventually change; I am trying to stay optimistic J

As for my progress, like I mentioned before, I have not been feeling well at all this week, so my progress has been minimal. I am still using the BYKI to help with my vocabulary, but I am in the process of trying to find other ways to learn Hebrew vocab. While I love the BYKI and think it is very useful, I want to experience other types of tools and familiarize myself with multiple ways of learning Hebrew. Also, I still do not have a language partner to help with learning Hebrew. Despite the fact that I am trying, on my own, to learn Hebrew as best as possible, I feel like I would be much better off if I had someone who knew Hebrew and was actually able to guide me through everything. Coming into this course I knew that it was self-taught and that I would have to do a majority of the work on my own, but after hearing that I would be getting a language partner I was much more relieved, knowing that since I had no idea about the Hebrew language, at least someone would be there to help me. But, I can say that I am making the best of it and am doing what I can to learn as much Hebrew as possible. I knew from the beginning that I would not walk away from this class fluent in Hebrew, so all I can do is the best I can J .

I have not made my voki yet because I was unable to go to class because I was not feeling well. However, I talked to one of my classmates and he said that he actually had a lot of fun making it, although he is not sure what he is supposed to do with it. I am looking forward to making one though!

This week has been a bit crazy for me! Ultimately, I focused on learning the Hebrew alphabet and numbers. Let’s just say I have a lot morework to do this week! Because Hebrew is completely new to me, I knew that thebest way to improve my pronunciation of certain words and letters would be to listento different videos and programs. Most of my studying this week, I would haveto say, was intensive. I focused primarily on YouTube videos that helped notonly with the pronunciation of Hebrew letters and numbers, but also how tospell them. Although I am not interested in learning how to write in Hebrew, itis still beneficial to be able to recognize how each letter looks so I canidentify them. In addition to focusing on the Hebrew alphabet and numbers, Ialso looked at some vocabulary. My goal is to learn roughly 3 to 5 vocabularywords a day, starting with a certain category. For instance, this week Ifocused on ‘family’ terms. A useful site that I used was called BYKI. This is awebsite that I know that I will definitely use throughout the semester. It hasall kinds of different Hebrew words, already separated into categories. Thesite will show you the Hebrew word and then show you what it means in Englishand then, at the end of the first set a words, it will test you to see how muchyou know; I cannot say that I know much at this point, but I’m getting there :)

As for my extensive listening activities last week, I did not really do much. I know that I am a beginner and still have to learn basicallyeverything there is to learn about Hebrew, so I feel like most of the listeningI do is going to be intensive, as opposed to extensive. However, I do know thatextensive listening is just as important. So, this week, my goal is tohopefully listen to some Hebrew news clips that I can find or to even watch theHebrew television channel that we learned about in class. I think that thesewill both be helpful listening activities and although I already know that Iwill not be able to understand much of what is said, if anything at all, theywill still help me become familiar with Hebrew pronunciations.

So, this was the first week that I actually began learning Hebrew. My goal was to learn how to greet people and how to introduce myself. Because I do not have a language
partner yet, I resorted to using YouTube videos. At first, I did not think YouTube
would be that great of a source to use, but I ended up finding a great video
that helped me out and that I downloaded to the Diigo website for other
students to use.

I learned really quickly as I was practicing my Hebrew introductions that I am going to have a very difficult time with the Hebrew accent. Most of the words end with a
certain sound (a sound that is produced from the back of one’s throat) that I
am not familiar using. I have taken both Italian and Spanish, but neither of
those languages required strong accents. French is probably another language I
would have trouble with. Because I did not grow up learning Hebrew, this
particular sound, which is hard for me to explain, does not sound natural when
it comes out of my mouth; it sounds completely forced and to be honest, a
little embarrassing. I spent the day yesterday
introducing myself and practicing greetings with my roommates, and although
they want to help, they could not help but just laugh at me. It actually was
quite entertaining!

I knew from the beginning that learning Hebrew was not going to be easy. I can read the words on paper, but I know that at this point, they do not sound the way they should,
but that is okay. After all, I am only just beginning. My hope is that by the
end of the year, everything will sound much smoother and not as forced. On a
side note, I met a student at the University this weekend who has taken Hebrew
before, so that made me happy!

Here are the words that I have learned thus far… ( I have not mastered them yet, but I will in due time )

My shlomkha : how are you (male)

My shlomekh : how are you (female)

SHALOM!!! : hello, goodbye, peace

Toda! : Thank you

Ve ata (male) : And you?

Ve at (female): And you?

Ma Shemkha? : What is your name? (male)

Ma shmekh? : What is your name? (female)

Anee…: I am

Kore’em lee ..: They call me

Lehtrao’ot : Goodbye

Ekh kore’em lekha: How do they call you ? (male)

Ekh kore’em lakh: How do they call you? (female)

I found both the book chapters and the article to be very helpful in explaining the different tools and processes that can be used to better develop my skills as an autonomous learner. However, between the two, I thought the article presented information that was much more applicable. Since a young age, I have always considered myself an independent and self-sufficient learner. However, after reading over the article entitled ”What is Learner Autonomy and How Can it be Fostered” by Dimitrios Thanasoulas, I realized that this is the first class I have ever taken throughout my 22 years of education in which I will be completely teaching myself; an intimidating thought if you ask me.

The most useful aspect of the article was the skills and tactics it mentioned to promote learner autonomy. Throughout this whole process, I know there are going to be times when I am going to become frustrated and want to give up; after all, learning an entirely new language is never easy. However, the article mentioned that both diaries and evaluation sheets can be very useful, and I could not agree more. A diary will allow me to plan and actually monitor my progress with learning Hebrew. It will be a constructive way for me to see changes I need to make or problems that I may be having. It will also be great to be able to look at my diary at the end of the year and see how much I have improved, from starting out not knowing any Hebrew to hopefully being able to learn enough to actually be able to converse with others!

I did not grow up in a foreign country and my parents are not fluent in any other language besides English. I have only been out of the United States once in my life and that was when I studied abroad in Australia, a country whose customs and culture are similar to those we practice in America; needless to say my linguistics were not challenged. I have studied different languages throughout my high school and college years, but it is safe to say that I am far from fluent in any language other than English. In high school, I studied Spanish for four straight years. To this day, I can remember some grammar and I can count to 100, but I would embarrass myself if I had to hold a conversation with someone who spoke only Spanish. The same goes for Italian. When I started as a freshman at the University of Richmond, I knew that I wanted to take a language that was new and different and that no one in my family had ever taken. I chose Italian. For one whole year, five days a week, one hour and fifteen minutes a day, I learned all I possibly could about the Italian language. From grammar and numbers to verb tenses and sentence formation, my professor did her very best to make sure the Italian language was embedded in our brains. Unfortunately, although I am more comfortable with my Italian-speaking abilities than I am with my Spanish-speaking abilities, I would need a lot more practice before I could converse with someone in Italian without making any mistakes.

For me, learning a new language is a lot fun. I enjoy being able to see the differences between languages and hear the different accents individuals have developed based on where they live. Over the weekend I completed two multiple intelligence tests and upon reviewing the results, I realized that they were extremely accurate and I began to think about and analyze my learning styles; something that I would have probably never done if it was not for taking these tests. Both tests revealed that I am both a social and solitary learner. At first, I did not see how this was possible seeing as how the terms are polar opposites. However, as I thought about the learning styles that I have used over the years, especially since I started attending the University of Richmond, I realized that I am in fact both a social and solitary learner. I prefer to communicate with fellow students when it comes to completing assignments or discussing a lecture. In addition, I have found that it is easier for me to learn material when I am listening to someone teach it to me, as opposed to reading it in a textbook. In the classroom, I enjoy when professors use examples and demonstrations in order to ensure that students understand what they are learning. I have found that I comprehend things much better when there is a video or model to illustrate what I have just read or been taught. Similarly, I enjoy taking classes in which professors communicate with and include their students in what they are teaching, rather than simply lecturing for 50 minutes to an hour.

Although I prefer to learn in groups, I have also found that I when it comes to studying and doing work, I prefer to be alone. When I study for a test, I need to be in a room that is completely quiet and where there are no distractions. Because I am easily distracted, I prefer to sit myself in the far corner of the library, with no computer or cell phone so that I am not sidetracked. I can safely say that when I work independently, I “get the job done”. I consider myself to be very self-disciplined which is why I believe that I will not have many problems teaching myself a completely new language. I have no experience when it comes to speaking Hebrew. In fact, I know very little about Jewish culture and traditions. But I am anxious to learn all that I can. It would be impossible for me to expect to be fluent in Hebrew by the end of the semester. Although that would be extraordinary, it is also very impracticable. That being the case, by the end of the semester, I would like to be able to hold short, simple conversations in Hebrew and possibly be able to write short phrases. I want to be able to pronounce and write most of the letters in the Hebrew alphabet, as well as learn up to 5 new vocabulary words a week. I would love to be able to read simple texts and phrases that are common among the Hebrew language. All in all, I know that learning a completely new language is going to be tough and at times I am going to feel frustrated. Right now, I do not know if my goals are too ambitious, but I always think it is better to set the bar high and simply see what happens.