Rona Lipsky
The Mechina as a matchmaker
Mechina Year: 2012-3
Today: Studying towards a B.A in Statistics and Sociology
City: Jerusalem
Rona made Aliyah in 2011 from Houston, Texas. She first attended an Ulpan and then continued to the Mechina Preparatory Program. Today, Rona is studying Statistics and Sociology at the Hebrew University in Jerusalem, but more importantly, she is engaged to Moshe, whom she met in the Mechina! We met Rona to talk about the Mechina, her degree, the upcoming marriage, and everything in between.
What is your strongest memory from the Mechina?
The level of the classes was amazing. I will remember my teachers forever, especially Orit, who taught Hebrew (Level Daled). She was the best teacher I had last year, full of motivation to help her students progress and succeed, and it really showed in my achievements. She pushed me to understand the basic points about the Hebrew language and its grammar. She really helped me and I am very grateful for her dedication.
Social life in the Mechina is, of course, a unique experience. I met a lot of students who are similar to me, all of them Olim and in a similar social situation as I am. It helps in getting accustomed to Israel to be with other people my age who are alone in a new country, without parents and full of motivation to delve deeper into Israeli society. The beginning wasn't easy because we had to create relationships between us, but slowly those relationships started to form, and we felt much more comfortable.
What tools did the Mechina provide you with?
The Mechina helped me with all aspects of having to deal with studying for a B.A in Israel - academically as well as socially. I think I wouldn't have been able to study here in Israel had I not gone through the Mechina first. The fact that the Mechina surrounds you with Hebrew really helps - I don't know what I would have done otherwise. In general, I'm a pretty shy person, so I didn't speak a lot of Hebrew, but in classes in the Mechina you are required to speak and write in Hebrew, and today I'm not embarrassed anymore to speak in Hebrew.
The Hebrew academic writing class was not an easy task for me. I had to write a 10-page paper in academic Hebrew. It was an intense effort, but in the end I was able to do it!
Future Plans
Moshe and I are engaged and will get married soon. We met in the Mechina. He is a very social person and he has a wonderful personality. He is a "Chevreman" as he makes friends easily and radiates warmth and happiness, and it's always fun to be around him. One day we started talking, and then we became good friends. After a while, we started dating, and just recently he proposed. Honestly, I didn't anticipate that this would happen to me - it's a pleasant surprise and I'm very happy.
I think my first goal is to finish my B.A, and continue to M.A studies. I definitely want to raise a family and stay in Israel.
The Mechina as a matchmaker
Mechina Year: 2012-3
Today: Studying towards a B.A in Statistics and Sociology
City: Jerusalem
Rona made Aliyah in 2011 from Houston, Texas. She first attended an Ulpan and then continued to the Mechina Preparatory Program. Today, Rona is studying Statistics and Sociology at the Hebrew University in Jerusalem, but more importantly, she is engaged to Moshe, whom she met in the Mechina! We met Rona to talk about the Mechina, her degree, the upcoming marriage, and everything in between.
What is your strongest memory from the Mechina?
The level of the classes was amazing. I will remember my teachers forever, especially Orit, who taught Hebrew (Level Daled). She was the best teacher I had last year, full of motivation to help her students progress and succeed, and it really showed in my achievements. She pushed me to understand the basic points about the Hebrew language and its grammar. She really helped me and I am very grateful for her dedication.
Social life in the Mechina is, of course, a unique experience. I met a lot of students who are similar to me, all of them Olim and in a similar social situation as I am. It helps in getting accustomed to Israel to be with other people my age who are alone in a new country, without parents and full of motivation to delve deeper into Israeli society. The beginning wasn't easy because we had to create relationships between us, but slowly those relationships started to form, and we felt much more comfortable.
What tools did the Mechina provide you with?
The Mechina helped me with all aspects of having to deal with studying for a B.A in Israel - academically as well as socially. I think I wouldn't have been able to study here in Israel had I not gone through the Mechina first. The fact that the Mechina surrounds you with Hebrew really helps - I don't know what I would have done otherwise. In general, I'm a pretty shy person, so I didn't speak a lot of Hebrew, but in classes in the Mechina you are required to speak and write in Hebrew, and today I'm not embarrassed anymore to speak in Hebrew.
The Hebrew academic writing class was not an easy task for me. I had to write a 10-page paper in academic Hebrew. It was an intense effort, but in the end I was able to do it!
Future Plans
Moshe and I are engaged and will get married soon. We met in the Mechina. He is a very social person and he has a wonderful personality. He is a "Chevreman" as he makes friends easily and radiates warmth and happiness, and it's always fun to be around him. One day we started talking, and then we became good friends. After a while, we started dating, and just recently he proposed. Honestly, I didn't anticipate that this would happen to me - it's a pleasant surprise and I'm very happy.
I think my first goal is to finish my B.A, and continue to M.A studies. I definitely want to raise a family and stay in Israel.
