Today Feels a lot like Tuesday…

Please excuse my lack of originality as I cleverly try to come up with a title for this blog. I simply feel the need to share. No other words can explain my perplexed state of mind, as I try to understand how anything is accomplished within the government in this country.

After successfully passing my ulpan exam last Wednesday, and being placed in a Hebrew course, I am informed that I need a piece of paper starting that I am an Olah Chadasha and that the government would pay for my class. Simple enough, right? All I need to do is head over to Misrad Haklita (Ministry of Absorption)

Here I must insert, that this is also partly my own fault for failing to heed to the advice of my fellow Olah (immigrant- female) who also had to accomplish this very task. She informed me, that if I wanted to get permission, I needed to be there at 8 am. Well for someone who is unemployed, waking up at 8 am seems totally unacceptable and an impossible feat. Surely this task could be accomplished at 11 am!

11:45 am Me: Shalom, I would like an appointment to get permission for Ulpan.

Operator: Sure, you don’t need an appointment just come over.

Me: Perfect, I’ll be right over.

Operator: No, I’m sorry. We close at 12:00 today.

Me: Um, do you reopen? (I should have known the answer to this question)

Operator: No, closed for the day. Sundays we are open 8:00-12:00.

(As I sit here on the phone I have the strangest feeling of deja vu…)

Me: Ok, what about on Monday?

Operator: 8:00- 12:00 & 2:00-5:00 (Then I realize I have an interview in Ranana- aka bumble- and would not be able to make it back in time)

Me: Ok, I’ll come Tuesday, same hours?

Operator: No, Tuesday we are closed all day. Just someone answering the phone.

Me: Of course you are closed on Tuesday, I can’t believe I even asked! What about Wednesday?

Operator: Same hours as Monday.

Me: Perfect, I’ll be there Wednesday at 8:00. (Reminding me how if I had only listened to my wise friend from the beginning this whole situation could have been avoided.)

This scenario does raise the question, If everyone in the government is working a 20hr work week, how does anything get done? I have also made another very interesting observation. All the government agencies that have these “strange” working hours are all for new immigrants (ie. Israelis would not be frequenting the Ministry of Absorption). Interesting, eh?