Saturday, January 5, 2013

Three Year Aliyah-niversary

To start, a collection of posts from the past three years:
First IGoogled Israel post about how I came to make aliyah (as a side note, there is a lot of good info there and in the other posts about first steps and getting started and other random firsts in Israel)
"Aseetee shopping"-- about going food/basic supplies shopping in Israel (related link: Food Shopping in Israel from Bat Aliyah, and from Marc Gottlieb: Chicken Chart (I'm a fan of the alliteration), Meat Guide, and Spice List)
Questioning my Aliyah Part I and Part II
Being In Hebrew-- learning to not just speak the language


And to continue, reflections on the past three years...
I'm sitting at the computer desk in my living room. The computer was my husband's before we got married, and the monitors are also from him/his parent's office. The laundry rack near me is from me, the dishpads drying on it are from my parents, and there are backpacks on the couch and the floor.
The dining room set is from my paternal grandparents' apartment and the kiddush cup that I just put away was my maternal grandfather's. The kerchief that I use to cover my hair when I light candles to welcome in Shabbat [the Sabbath] and holidays is the one that my mother got for my grandmother (or great-grandmother, I don't remember which...) when she was in Israel.
Our toolbox/stepstool is from my aunt, and the small toolbox belonged to my maternal grandfather.

There is so much here that connects me to my roots, and at the same time it's somehow new.

There is a cabinet that belonged to my paternal grandparents that the gave me. I don't even know how old it is, just that it was always in the corner with little tchachkes in it. 


Three years (and six days) ago, I made aliyah-- stepped off a plane with a couple hundred other people who had also decided to move to Israel. 
In that time I have lived in three apartments, had three roommates, made so many friends, dated English-speakers and Hebrew speakers, re-learned to cook using Israeli ingredients, traveled around my new country, explored cities, became an Israeli-licensed occupational therapist, got a job, left it, and got a new one, met my husband-dated-got engaged-got married-moved to the middle of the desert, got my Israeli driver's license, and...I think I've done pretty well here.


Here's to another three years of learning this country (at which time I'll be up to six years :) )!

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