So far I think things are going according to plan, especially in terms of pronunciation and fluidity. Oftentimes during sessions I will be able to respond and express my feelings on something through Hebrew instead of English, for instance if my partner uses a word that I haven't learned I will first say "I don't know that word' in Hebrew. So far I haven't said anything that hasn't been understood so I take that to be a good metric for analyzing basic pronunciation and accent. Since I have learned the alefbet and studied many of the words for common foods in Israel such as bread and olives already, I think I have hit my goal of being able to read basic menus, although looking back I think these kinds of words would help more in a grocery store setting than a restaurant one, since I can't imagine ordering straight olives and bread in a restaurant on the regular. I have used the radiogarden.com website a couple times to listen to Hebrew while doing other things a couple of times, but have found Netflix to be a better resource for this as I can get the translation of what exactly people are saying much easier, and Israeli radio plays way too much Taylor Swift.
As for the relationship between language and culture, I think both these things support and take from each other. Language comes from culture, and vice versa, culture comes from language. I think neither can be built in isolation, whether isolated from each other or more literally by a human isolated from the world.
Comments
I wouldn't have expected Israeli radio stations to play Taylor Swift! Netflix is a great resource. Check out EdPuzzle, too, for customizable YouTube content.