Baking in Mime

FYI, starting in two weeks I'll be taking a Hebrew-language class called "The Short Story." It will meet every other week, for 6 meetings, for 1 1/2 hours each time (evenings), for 250 NIS. It's appropriate for people in levels heh and vav. Each week we'll be given a short story to read, puzzle over new words, and analyze at home. Then in class we'll discuss it, go over vocabulary, etc.

If you live in or near Jerusalem and want to take the class with me, send me an email and I'll let you know the details. I asked and there are still spots in the class.

Eventually I'd like to sign up for another 5-month intensive ulpan, but 'til then, these little mini-courses sound like a good way to improve my skills, especially since I work and live in English almost all day, every day. My goal is eventually to finish level vav. No, actually my goal is to be able to live my life completely in Hebrew: doctor appointments; calls to the plumber; grocery shopping; meetings with my kids' teachers (when I have them, someday); classes in arts, crafts, dance; etc.

This goal seems soooo far away. It's off on the horizon, like a mirage in the desert.

Today I went to the makolet and needed ingredients to bake a cake. I didn't know how to say "baking powder," so I told Shabi "I'm baking a cake, and need this stuff that's like baking soda [yeah, I knew how to say baking soda], but not. It's white. You use it to bake . . . um . . . um . . ." and he was like "flour? cornstarch? sugar?" and I was like "no. no. no." Finally he said "baking powder" and I was like "yah! Yah!"

The word for baking powder is, literally, "powder for baking." [Avkat afiah, or avakah l'afiah, or something like that]. Who knew? Especially since baking soda is "soda l'shtiyah"- "soda for drinking" [????]

Eich omrim "dagnabit" b'Ivrit?