A Failure to Communicate - The Wrath of the Resh

Let's travel back in time to a few weeks ago: 

I went to a Shabbat dinner at a family's house here in Eilat. This family couldn't have been nicer. The dad drove me and my friend from our apartment building to his house since we'd never been there before. There are four sons and one daughter in the family, and still they made room at their table for us :)

My friend and I get into the car and we start making conversation with our host. "Where are you from?" "Do you have any siblings?" "Why did you want to come to Israel?" "How are you liking Eilat?" When he asks me [in English] where in the hotel I work, I confidently answer back in Hebrew, "Ani ovedet ba cheder prachim." In Hebrew, this translates to, "I work in the flower room." 

Being the upbeat, friendly person that I am, I gave this answer with a smile on my face. Besides- it's not like we are talking about world famine... who doesn't find joy in flowers? The reactions I normally receive are either, "Wow! I'm jealous!," or, "So that means you get to work with flowers? Cool!" And then usually a conversation ensues about the subject.

But no, not this time. We quickly moved on to talking about something else. I didn't think much of it until last night.

It is now time to fast forward to last night.

Yesterday, this same family invited me to accompany them to a special Shabbat dinner 20 minutes outside of Eilat where we would be spending the evening with their extended family. I RSVP'd "YES" faster than a shooting star remembering back to the family's warmth and hospitality during the previous time I'd spent with them.

They picked me up and we arrive at our destination. It is a beautiful house in a gated neighborhood in the desert. No grass. No trees. No commercialism. Just dessert and the star-encrusted sky. We make introductions, mingle and then find our seats at the table. 

Eventually amidst conversation someone asks me where I work and what is my job. Being in my mind the Hebrew expert that I am I confidently say to them, "Ani ovedet ba cheder prachim." The father of my host family looks at me as if he has just had an epiphany of epic proportions.

"Wait - like flowers???," he asks me. I couldn't understand why he seemed so stunned since I told him what I did in the hotel at our last meeting.

"When you came to our house last time, it sounded like you said 'pachim,' not 'prachim,'" he began to explain. Subsequently I learned a new word! Apparently "pachim" means garbage. This man thought that with a big smile, I had told him I worked in the hotel's trash room. I'm guessing he was a bit relieved to find out that the foreign vegan girl isn't weirdly happy about garbage after all. :-p

The moral of the story is that pronunciation is key in the Hebrew language.

The Hebrew "R" is the letter "ר" (resh). It's not pronounced like the English "R." Instead, it is slightly rolled, but not like the Spanish "R." It's a bit more silent, but not as silent as the French "R." 

The letter "resh" in all it's glory.

For months I have been practicing my resh and I know now that it's going to take a lot more practice until I master the delicate balance between saying whether I work in the trash room, or the flower room.

I guess I do have an American accent after all...

My New Job: The Flower Girl

This week I began a new job at the Royal Beach.

Flower Selfie!

But before I continue, a little backstory: I had been working for a week in the VIP lounge at the hotel until the doctor told me I had a stress fracture in my right foot. I rested for a week and then hooray - my program coordinator found me a new job that is less demanding for the legs. I am back to work! Though it's a different kind of work...

I now work in the flower studio at the Royal Beach. We are a back-of-house team, which means we have zero interactions with the guests. There are only two or three of us working at a time so I have already gotten to know my two wonderful trainers quite well.

Gale made Aliyah more than 30 years ago from England and Ruti is a native Israeli. They are both very warm and maternal, constantly reminding me I should be sitting more. They are wonderful teachers in the art of floral design.

I love my new job! This is what I see every day:

A panoramic view of the work counter inside the flower studio.

Yesterday was only my second day and already they let me make arrangements from roses!

Before... (that green sponge is about to disappear!)

After!

Here's another one I did! Made from the same kind of roses lying on the counter.

Making the arrangements is quite therapeutic. It almost is like putting together a puzzle, only the puzzle has about six different dimensions - appearance, smell, cleanliness, size, feel, age (probably I am leaving something out...).

It is also nice to be learning something new, outside of the hospitality umbrella. And though the change is refreshing, I do miss service. To me there is nothing more satisfying than seeing the smile on a guest's face after you have made him or her feel cared-for. 

Eventually after my foot heals I think I will probably return to service, but for now I am so happy to be the newest flower girl at the Royal Beach! Who knows, maybe this'll even add a line to my resume... My flower mentors say that if you have the skills to work with flowers you can get a job anywhere in the world.

Ruti making a beautiful arrangement for [I think?] the lobby. Unfortunately I don't have any pictures of Gale... yet! ;) 

I am amazed by all of the arrangements we make for the hotel. I don't think I have ever stayed in a hotel with such nice vegetation. Where do all of these bouquets and vases go? Every single room in the hotel gets at least one arrangement, some get three, some get more.

Another nice thing about my new job is that I don't have to wear a uniform - though I'm not sure if it actually is nice because it takes me longer to get ready when I have to decide what to wear ;) And not to mention more laundry for me :'(

I am excited to see what is to come in this new job and hope every day brings something new and beautiful.