Hebrew Speaker!

As I was teaching a class last week the attendance monitor came in to pick up the attendance sheet.

I said "Hello" and the teacher said that he refuses to speak English. All of a sudden I hear Boker Tov

And my head whips around, but by then he's gone.

Thinking I was imagining things I asked the teacher if he just spoke Hebrew. She said he did!

Why on earth does an attendance monitor in the tiny town of Sablé speak Hebrew?

I stalked him for the next while and finally got a change to shout "Ata Medaberit Ivrit!" as he was running down the stairs. (You speak Hebrew!)

It was his turn to whip around confused and he responded "ken!" (Yes!)

Now every time we see each other I manage to spit out a phrase that mixes Hebrew and French. Its Frebrew!

Because I only know a bit of Hebrew and a bit of French, as soon as I started learning French my brain couldn't handle remembering both foreign languages at the same time so it completely shut hebrew out. Now I have trouble remembering even the simplest Hebrew words :(. I don't understand how some ppl switch between languages so easily, if I don't constantly work on it the language goes out the window.

So I really want to make sure I practice with the Hebrew attendance monitor, lest my Hebrew be as reduced as it was when I left Hebrew school and I forgot how to read and write within 6 months.

I learned that he went to school for 2 years in Jerusalem and that is where he learned Hebrew. He's also Jewish since he wished me a Shabbat Shalom. Other then that he is a mystery, but I promise to find out more!