#Off_the_record with Alexander Ford Griffith, USA!
Alex is pursuing his Bachelor’s in Linguistics and Anthropology at The University of Massachusetts and came to Israel to participate in our Semester program! 
Alex knows so many languages that it’s unbelievable! 
Ready for this? English, Hebrew, Arabic, Greek, Russian, Yiddish, Ladino, Spanish, Esperanto, Italian, Romanian, French, Haitian Creole, Scots Gaelic, Polish, Maltese, Turkish, Azerbaijan, Kazakh, Georgian, Armenian, Farsi, Amharic, Hindi, Punjabi, Urdu, Thai, Chinese, Japanese, Korean, American Sign Language, Ancient Egyptian, Biblical Hebrew/Greek and Israeli Sign Language.
Ready for this? English, Hebrew, Arabic, Greek, Russian, Yiddish, Ladino, Spanish, Esperanto, Italian, Romanian, French, Haitian Creole, Scots Gaelic, Polish, Maltese, Turkish, Azerbaijan, Kazakh, Georgian, Armenian, Farsi, Amharic, Hindi, Punjabi, Urdu, Thai, Chinese, Japanese, Korean, American Sign Language, Ancient Egyptian, Biblical Hebrew/Greek and Israeli Sign Language.Now for the fun stuff 
1. Favorite Hebrew word:
Balshan (linguist). It’s like a detective of languages (Because it’s similar to the word detective in Hebrew). Sometimes I consider myself a detective of languages because I catch myself listening to people and wonder “What language is that?” 
2. Why Israel?
It’s started when I was a child and I was home schooled. In our home school groups there were many Jewish families, and one of the mothers asked me “Would you like to learn Hebrew with me?” and I said “Oh, why not?”. After I completed the tutorial, I wanted to learn more than just biblical Hebrew, to learn how to speak it – so I got all the books, movies and resources that I could to learn how to speak modern Hebrew. It’s been 11 years since then. Now it’s the first time that I’m in Israel and I get to use a lot of the Hebrew that I learned. During those 11 years I also studied the other 30 languages 
3. How does it feel, to know so many languages?
I’m a little concerned that if I’ll learn one more language my brain is gonna explode, “Boom” all over the Negev 
But I just can’t stop learning them. I try to have all the languages’ keyboards so I can type in them all the time. I’m always trying to look for people that I can talk to or learn from them and I started to get involved in a languages exchange here in Be’er Sheva. I intend to study languages as long as I live, I’ve dedicated my life to do it ever since I’ve been a child, I feel it’s my destiny. I wish that I’ll use my ability to learn how to help other communities and be a linguistic tool for them. When I’ll get my Bachelor’s I want to go straight into field work. There are several organizations that work on Linguistic and cultural preservation, and I would like to enter those field work institutions.
But I just can’t stop learning them. I try to have all the languages’ keyboards so I can type in them all the time. I’m always trying to look for people that I can talk to or learn from them and I started to get involved in a languages exchange here in Be’er Sheva. I intend to study languages as long as I live, I’ve dedicated my life to do it ever since I’ve been a child, I feel it’s my destiny. I wish that I’ll use my ability to learn how to help other communities and be a linguistic tool for them. When I’ll get my Bachelor’s I want to go straight into field work. There are several organizations that work on Linguistic and cultural preservation, and I would like to enter those field work institutions.
4. How would you describe your everyday life in Be’er Sheva?
I would describe my life in Be’er Sheva as a dream come true 
I feel at home here. I’ve lived in The US all my life, just loving Israel and Hebrew from a far, and I finally get to live it. My daily routine apart from class? I like to go and walk in the old city. I like searching out for historical of cultural places. I’ve been in Tel Be’er Sheva 4 times, I’m taking walks in Park Ha’sofrim, watching the sun go down at the Monument at the entrance of Be’er Sheva. I’m volunteering in teaching English in the Bedouin community in Rahat – every time I go I learn something new about the culture. I’ve been going to different trips with the other students. Two weeks ago I got the opportunity to take 4 of my friends to Rahat and I was able to show other people experiences that I’ve been having. On campus I’m meeting students that I can practice my Hebrew with, and in my international dorms there are students from all over the world, and I get to meet people from so many cultures. For me, Be’er Sheva is the people. I feel that I’m getting my most fulfillment out of Be’er Sheva 
I feel at home here. I’ve lived in The US all my life, just loving Israel and Hebrew from a far, and I finally get to live it. My daily routine apart from class? I like to go and walk in the old city. I like searching out for historical of cultural places. I’ve been in Tel Be’er Sheva 4 times, I’m taking walks in Park Ha’sofrim, watching the sun go down at the Monument at the entrance of Be’er Sheva. I’m volunteering in teaching English in the Bedouin community in Rahat – every time I go I learn something new about the culture. I’ve been going to different trips with the other students. Two weeks ago I got the opportunity to take 4 of my friends to Rahat and I was able to show other people experiences that I’ve been having. On campus I’m meeting students that I can practice my Hebrew with, and in my international dorms there are students from all over the world, and I get to meet people from so many cultures. For me, Be’er Sheva is the people. I feel that I’m getting my most fulfillment out of Be’er Sheva 5.What is your best experience until now?
Some of the best memories I have are trips that the international office organized for us. Tamar, our counselor is really creative and she thinks about so many special trips. I really enjoyed our trip to Machtesh Ramon and to the Dead Sea 
6. Is it true that you’ve created languages?!
I find that a good way to understand linguistics and languages is creating your own languages as well, and I developed my own languages. For example, my sister is an artist, and I’ve created a language for one of her graphic novels 
The main languages that I’ve created are called Ethrodellan, Tlhadi and Hepnorian. Every language has its own writing system and grammar, and I’m developing a vocabulary. It’s so much fun because it’s creating not only a language and its system, but creating a world trying to think of how these people think, some sounds they can’t pronounce or different concepts that they have that we don’t have, or the opposite.
The main languages that I’ve created are called Ethrodellan, Tlhadi and Hepnorian. Every language has its own writing system and grammar, and I’m developing a vocabulary. It’s so much fun because it’s creating not only a language and its system, but creating a world trying to think of how these people think, some sounds they can’t pronounce or different concepts that they have that we don’t have, or the opposite.