“It’s taken some time to figure out how to put into words the insanity of the last two months since I arrived in Israel.
“After being quarantined in a government-run corona hotel for 10 days, I moved into my lovely apartment in Herzliya. Hamas was even kind enough to send some rockets my way for a bit to help celebrate. Pro tip: move in with new roommates, whom you’ve never met, during a war for guaranteed nightly bomb shelter bonding.
“While at this point most normal people would have been questioning their decision to move to this country, I wouldn’t have wanted to be anywhere else. Don’t get me wrong, I was as scared as anyone would be & there were definitely plenty of sleepless nights. But for me, this felt like a test of endurance & dedication to the decision that I had just made. It might not be rational, but during that week of rockets I remembered the feelings of guilt I had whenever Israel was under attack & I was sitting comfortably in my home in New Jersey.
“At the time it bothered me that Jews were being attacked in the Jewish state while I, a fellow Jew, was watching from a distance completely helpless. While I wasn’t exactly contributing much to national security by sitting in my roommate’s bedroom which doubled as our bomb shelter, in a twisted way I was glad that I could finally be in Israel during the bad times, as well as the good times. I believe that my being here & having Jews continue to come to Israel despite these events is what makes this country so unique & is a sure sign that the Jewish state isn’t going anywhere anytime soon!
“After things calmed down with Hamas, the real craziness began! In addition to working a full-time job, those weeks consisted of many visits to Misrad Hapnim (Ministry of Interior), Misrad Haklita (Min. of Absorption), Minhal Hastudentim (the student authority), the bank & Maccabi (HMO).
“For those of you who think of Israel as the ‘startup nation’, visit any one of these offices & you’ll feel like you were thrown into a third world, socialist country that operates at a snail’s pace & preys on the hopes & dreams of any idealistic 22-year-old American girl who walks through the doors…
“Thanks to the warnings of my incredible friends, I was mentally prepared for the worst & assumed that anything that could go wrong, would go wrong; anything short of that was a pleasant surprise. Thankfully at the end of the day I got everything done that I needed to get done! At the same time, I learned many valuable lessons on being assertive & had countless opportunities to practice some good old Israeli chutzpah! 💪
“Besides the expected bureaucratic stress, being away from my family for the first time in a year (#Covid) has been a huge challenge. Nothing has prepared me for the frequent feelings of loneliness, doubt & general sadness surrounding not having my immediate family near me, or the reality that this is what I bargained for my future by making Aliyah. Having supportive close friends who also made Aliyah at one point or another & know what this is like has been nothing but comforting & already makes me feel a part of a larger community of Olim. I’m fortunate to have old friends & some family here as a support system, as well as my incredible roommates who continuously make an effort to introduce me to the community & show me Herzliya!
“Every day since I’ve arrived has been a learning experience. Whether it’s breaking my teeth while speaking Hebrew & learning not to die from embarrassment every time I make a mistake, or something as simple as learning where to buy hangers. Some things are familiar & comfortable, but naturally, most things are not. While there have definitely been many (many many) challenging moments, I thank Gd every day for giving me the opportunity to embrace the aspects of this little country that both drive me crazy & make me want to cry from the happiness & surrealism of it all on the daily! ❤️”