The semester officially started this week, and it looks like I'm going to have a good one this time around. Workshop, especially, looks like it's going to be good. Before we got started on the semester, the teacher, Jaime Manrique, had us all submit a few pages of work to each other, just to break the ice. The stories people submitted were wonderful. Engaging and passionate. Excellent work. It's nice to look forward to reading what people turn in. Jaime, himself, has a reputation for being a tough critic, but he's fair and very supportive.
I'm also taking Yiddish this semester, which I almost dropped after the first class. I took it, thinking that since it was similar to German, I might have a good chance at picking it up quickly. Which is true on the speaking end of things. Unfortunately, on the writing end, Yiddish is written in the Hebrew alphabet, something I did not know when I signed up for the class. Being the big Goy that I am, I've never read Hebrew, except when it's transliterated. I decided to stick through it, though. I'm not sure I'll ever get the hang of the alphabet, but that's fine. I'm not looking to write for the Forward, just to be able to order at a deli. So I should be OK. Also a friend of mine in the program is taking a bilingually taught Yiddish literature class, so she and I have agreed to start meeting to help each other. I'll help her with the Yiddish lit, and she'll help me reinforce what I learn.
For those of you wishing to pick up a bit of Yiddish on your own, may I recommend starting with the Bulbes song. Mmmmm...bulbes an Zuntik!
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Having grown up in the coal country area of north eastern PA, my grandmother should not have muttered much Yiddish. However, I find that what I gleaned from her mumblings is in fact a collection of bits of Yiddish, making my mutterings all the more odd. I have been asked if I'm from New York, the South, and even England because of my mixed speech patterns. When I mention the proximity of my hometown to Philly, they shrug or chuckle.
I'd write a line to finish this comment that includes some sassy Yiddish quip, but unfortunately the words seem to come out only when I am bothered or perplexed. Perhaps you can help me figure out what I have been saying all these years. :)
~KJ
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