It was over in the blink of an eye

And so the days of Leora the waitress have come to an end. Waitressing in any country, in any language, is taxing on the body and not so stimulating for the mind. I evaluated my situation, weighed my options and decided to hand back the red apron and call it a day. You know that you have made the right decision when your coworkers are happy for you to be “getting out before you really get in” and head towards bigger and better things. I now know two things:

1. Even though I do not have a “real” job yet, waitressing is not the answer

And

2. I know where to get a great cup of coffee and piece of chocolate cake.

Since I will not be spending my days (and nights) at the coffee shop, I now have more time to devote towards other things, including ulpan and finding a job.

I started my ulpan class on Thursday, which was also the day that all of the children went back to school. It is hard to get an accurate idea of what the class will be like from the first class, but overall it was pretty interesting and I learned a thing or two. One quick fact: for those of us who have a hard time knowing when to write “alef” and when to write “eyin,” all words that relate to members of the family are written with alef (such as father, mother, brother, sister, grandpa, grandma, grandson, etc…)

Ulpan is only two days a week, so that leaves me plenty of time for my job search. Right now I am working on my networking skills and drinking a lot of fruit juices in cafes where I meet these people. I have been very lucky to have met some really great people who have never met me before, but want to help. And of course there are those who have known me for years and still do not run away when I come knocking down their doors.

And of course no run down of my days would be complete if I didn’t at least mention my gym. Yes, I am still loving my gym and loving even more the fact that is right across the street. This week they are doing a promotional “Week of Pampering” where they are giving free massages and facials and members can bring guests for free. Of course the “free” things are only between the hours of 10 am and 4 pm. Just another reason not to be employed!

For those of you who have made it to the end of this entry I commend you. I promise that future entries will be short, sweet and more frequent.