Miriam Katz, as a young secular Jew growing up in Boston, used to dream of becoming a marine biologist. Then about 30 years of other things happened, during which time she learned how to speak Italian and got a degree in education from a college that was formerly a barn. Currently, she lives in Jerusalem, where she is a mother, writer, and soul-searcher. She spends her days raising her family, helping her husband with his educational revolution, and trying to figure out what to make for dinner.
The Spanish couple on the textbook was breezy and carefree. The Italians were beautiful and moody. Now I'm living in Israel learning Hebrew and it's a whole different story.