Nora Mann's Posts (9)

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Culture: Passover Seder

Posted by Nora Mann on March 30, 2010 at 2:30pm
This is the first year that I have not gone home for a huge Passover seder=(. This dinner is somewhat ritualistic and includes more than half of the family- normally instead of just having my dad read the story of passover, everyone retells the story of the Israelites were liberated from slavery in Egypt. The story of the exodus from Egypt is meant to be told to everyone...

It is weird not having a seder plate full of maror, charoset (my favorite), karpas, Z'roa, and Beitzah. When I used to live at home, my sister, mother, and I would make Charoset. This delicious mixture of nutes, apples, cinnamon and red wine was used to build up buildings in Egypt. Waking maror was my grandfather's job- he always loved having fresh horseradish- so spicy/bitter to represent the harshness of slavery! The Karpas was my brother's job- to separate the parsley and celery-and make salt water- this combination represented the pain the jews felt. Now the gross part- the Z'roa- goat shankbone- and boiled egg (Beitzah)- that was dad's job- these represented sacrifice.

Regardless of missing the seder, I know I am not going to miss just that! When the pharoah freed the Hebrews, they fleed so quickly that their bread did not rise. SO I will be missing leavened bread for this week. Let the week of Matzah begin;-)

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Artifacts

Posted by Nora Mann on March 25, 2010 at 11:40am
This week we really started working on artifacts with Haya. Alper and I not only created a story line but we also translated (from english to written hebrew) and recorded our progress. While working on this, I recognized how much trouble I have reading the language... I find it is easier to understand when spoken to, rather than read off a single piece of paper. I have always been this way about learning anything- but I think by recording and listening to myself, I am learning a lot faster from my mistakes! I truly sound VERY american when I speak in Hebrew but I am starting to love learning the language and finding better ways for me to progress.Later this weekend, I think I am going to ask Haya to assist me with pronunciation. There are still certain sounds that I struggle with- for example, when you say beraa (that is capital) but bera is beer. When working in groups I find it more difficult to say I don't understand something- because Alper tends to actually get it every time... but I have been talking to Haya post our lesson and think it is starting to really help. Reviewing one on one, writing out words to explain pronunciation, and speaking with a native speaker, have proven to be the most productive way for me to learn the language!
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Ani Rotset

Posted by Nora Mann on March 25, 2010 at 11:33am
From the beginning of my studies with Haya, I knew I wanted to be able to have a simple conversation... I have many friends who speak/understand Hebrew and I am finally able to conversate with them=) I still am having a little/a lot of difficulty hearing the difference between some sounds but I feel like I'm making great progress! This past week, we talked about our vacations- where we went, what we did, and what the weather was like... this is just the beginning but I feel like I am really movin in the right direction! Haya as been SO MUCH HELP and really works with me until I understand everything.The only thing I would change about this process of teaching myself how to learn a language is- having more people around me to understand or help me understand what I want to say. Haya is one of the only people I can practice with- and I think she is the only one who is really not embarassed to correct me. Without her help I'd be struggling immensely!
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Studying on your own

Posted by Nora Mann on March 1, 2010 at 1:21pm
Every time I meet with Haya I feel as if I am going to impress her with all my studying and newly attained knowledge... however, I have started to notice that when studying a language that is not commonly spoken around you, learning the correct pronunciation on your own is really the hardest part. recognizing the word when I hear it, has proven to be the easiest part- Saying them correctly out loud is the worst.Haya is incredible and is going to meet with me more than just two times a week to review these issues with me. Unlike the intensive classes that we take here, where you hear the language everyday for 7 classes a week, whenever you take even a small break from Hebrew you (I) feel like something is lost... Thankfully Haya is taking the time to help me even more. With the help she has given me so far I feel like progress has been made; with that in mind- I think there is only room for more progress and greater succes;-)
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February 18th

Posted by Nora Mann on February 18, 2010 at 11:10am
I was not able to meet with Haya today because she was sick. This past tuesday I was sick too- but I am going to try and meet with her this weekend to review what I missed on Tuesday and maybe move on to some new concepts/words. I am a lot more motived to learn more because she is so interested in teaching me!I would say I understand everything we have reviewed up until now.A ni rotset medebert me ot eser!;-) (I want to speak very well)- and I think I am moving in the right direction!
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Bon atril- Lets Begin

Posted by Nora Mann on February 18, 2010 at 11:06am
This past week we were supposed to blog on both an intensive and extensive listening practice. For my intensive Hebrew practice, I decided to listen to a short movie on numbers and months. Both of these videos, to my surprise, taught me numbers 0-10 and all the months really quickly! I was shocked how fast I was able to pick up these concepts. Next time I think I am going to listen to a weather report. At the moment I don't know more than a few words dealing with weather; however next week I plan to learn more so that I will be able to follow what is happening in the scene.My intensive listening practice was not very productive. I looked up a scene from Lion King, Hakuna Mata, and since I know the words I figured it would be easy to follow but it was actually a lot more difficult than I had imagined. I know I will have to watch more then I have to really pick up the whole scene but I am slowly learning new words.
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February 9/12

Posted by Nora Mann on February 18, 2010 at 10:56am
I didn't get a chance to post last week in response to my tutor sessions with Haya... I am absolutely shocked how quickly I am starting to remember hebrew numbers, simple phrases, colors and months. Over the past two weeks we were introduced to these ideas and words- but now I can remember them off hand. As I review these and new ideas every week now, I am becoming a lot more confident.Spelling has always been difficult for me... With english I find that it is easier to hear certain sounds but I am struggling a little more in Hebrew. Sometimes, when writing in cursive, I miss an entire letter but I can pronounce the word correctly. It is weird to me that I miss something so large but I am a lot more interested in being able to speak and sound words out.I think I have almost officially learned all the hebrew letters in print and cursive. Print has been very easy for me to read, while cursive is sometimes more difficult. Regardless, Haya has really been there whenever I have had a question. She said she would meet more than two times a week too- which is going to be even more helpful for me. I think I learn more studying on my own- but reviewing with someone like her- someone who knows exact pronunciation and new words- really helps me improve!I'm very excited with my progress and hope it only gets better.
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Response 1

Posted by Nora Mann on February 4, 2010 at 2:17pm
Since I had previously seen Hebrew i didn't think I would have a difficult time jumping back in... I thought a few works would still be in my vocabulary and I right... however I still am struggling with pronunciation. I think I have officially decided that I do not think it is important to know how to write. Speaking is an essential.I have now begun trying different ways to remember the letters in the alphabet and I have also started to translate different prayers that I have known since I was young. I think this has been a good week of progress and I am slowly finding different way for me to remember words and ideas.Meeting with my language partner today was a very comforting feeling as well. She was very nice and is so positive, I think I will learn more than I first imagined.
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Where to start

Posted by Nora Mann on January 21, 2010 at 11:38am
From a young age, I have struggled to learn many languages. I took Spanish for years and barely learned anything at all. Even with studies in English, I had a speech teacher. I didn’t learn to read until I was in the 2nd/3rd grade. Learning any language is difficult for me, but I figured this type of class would be the best environment for me to prosper. Because I struggle with this area, I figure I can move at my own pace in this class. When something is hard, I won’t have someone there to tell me I am incompetent because I am moving so slowly.I have many different learning disabilities and because of that I have been tested from a young age to figure out the best type of learning environment would be conducive to my success. Some of the results were similar to the test I took this weekend. I am very much a physical learner who functions best with logical reasoning. Patterns are something that I easily recognize. My brain works in a systematic way. When I have a goal I tend to work very hard to reach it. Additionally, I have a physical (bodily-kinesthetic) learning style. When learning is more interactive I tend to have an easier time. Lastly, I also work well as an interpersonal learner. I hope to build a better ability to imitate those I work with because that is something I struggle with but I think it is very helpful. Working in groups can be helpful for me at times.What are my learning goals for this semester? I have learned a lot about Jewish history, but I have no experience with Hebrew. Sadly, as a Jew I know very little. Because I have struggled with languages all my life, I simply hope to be able to learn the alphabet, be able to read short texts, and basic information. Learning the alphabet will be the first step and then I would like to learn simple conversation starters and slowly move from there. I know I will not be fluent at the end of this but I know this a great starting point.
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