I hate juggling multiple tasks. I am NOT a "multi-tasker". I do ONE thing at a time. I like to FOCUS on whatever it is that is at hand, that I am working on, without the distraction of "other things". But for the past week or so, I have had to diversify my focus, albeit, not simultaneously.
One, I began ulpan. I am proud to say that I am in Kita Gimmel, and I am keeping up with the class. I was not sure what my level of Hebrew would be, after thirty years of non use. As they say, "use it or lose it". I forgot much but, happily, like riding a bicycle, much has come back to me. I am fortunate too, that my teacher at ulpan, Dahlia, is an EXCELLENT teacher. I like her a lot. She spends enough time on sicha (in class discussion) and on dikduk (grammar) and reading that I feel like I am getting a good well rounded experience in learning Hebrew.
Two, I have been sending out CV's and posting to all my networking sites and blogs and connecting with others in my field in an attempt to find a job. I found thus far, not one, but two. Both are part time. Both are working from home. Neither are high pressure. I would prefer a "bona fide" job, perhaps even full time but for now this will do. I have two amutot (non profit organizations) "on the hook", which are interested in me but which do not wish to pursue anything until after the chagim (Jewish holidays - Rosh Hashanah through Simchat Torah). Again, this is fine for me. It gives me more time to "settle down" a bit.
Three, I have been consumed with the goal of acquiring a car. After an initial foray into the possibility of borrowing money from a bank for the purchase, and the disappointment in learning that without a credit history HERE, it would be near impossible, I came up with a better plan. I already had half the needed funds in my checking account (in the US). I could take the other half from my IRA -- BUT -- I really did not want to do so in THIS tax year. It would bump my income up into too high a tax bracket. So, some very good friends of mine loaned me the needed funds with the agreement that I would repay them in Jan or Feb when I would be able to take the money out of my IRA without incurring too much tax liability. (I have wonderful friends!)
With regard to finding a car, that was another hurdle for me. Without good Hebrew skills and with the humongous difficulty that using the phone poses for me it was a HUGE hurdle. Thank G-d for FRIENDS. Another good friend (albeit a NEW one whom I only just met a few weeks ago) has been helping me by making connections for me, making calls for me, and going with me to look at cars. Right now, there is a very good possibility that I will be purchasing a 2002 Toyota Corolla. It has already 145k km, which is kind of high. But I took it for a test drive and it drives really well. The car is obviously well taken care of. Today I will have a mechanic check it out and if all checks out, then I will buy the car. I just hope the wire transfer I have requested comes through in good time.
Wish me luck!
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