Tongue Tied

Even though I have a very good understanding of Hebrew and my spoken Hebrew is getting better everyday, talking on the phone with Israelis can be a bit of a challenge. For one thing, many Israelis talk like they are racing the Grand Prix so by the time I hear and understand what was said, the person on the other end is already getting impatient. Israelis aren't renowned for having much patience, so if I'm struggling with my Hebrew that day, having a phone conversation can be pretty painful. One of the many times this happened, I was making an appointment to fix a badly chipped tooth. I told the receptionist in Hebrew what the appointment was for and all of a sudden she started yelling at me. I wasn't in the greatest mood to start with because my chipped tooth made me look like someone named Lakisha, so her yelling really upset me. I threw the phone to my husband who was half asleep and I left the room in tears. My husband later explained to me that I had slightly mispronounced the word tooth in Hebrew, making what I said the wrong word which is why the receptionist got upset.
My first time on the phone with the bank was an absolute disaster. I forgot how to say anything in Hebrew so I was stumbling all over myself while my husband watched me from the kitchen trying not to burst into laughter. When I asked him why he didn't help me he said the only way I'd learn to speak Hebrew was to try on my own, even if I made mistakes.
Other times when I'm doing well with my spoken Hebrew and I have to give the person on the other end my ID number and other contact info I always hope that I'm not giving them the wrong numbers since I'm rattling them off one after the other. As I say the numbers in Hebrew, my head translates what I'm saying into English which also makes me say the numbers in Hebrew a bit slower. Also, since Israel has socialized health care nothing is hardly ever one simple phone call, so I find myself having to repeat the same thing several times to different doctors offices. There are pros and cons to making several of the same calls. Pros: I can better my Hebrew and if the person on the other end actually has some patience, they correct me if I make a mistake. Con: I get nervous all over again because there are a million ways to screw up something so simple=0)