Last night, in honor of Purim Katan and my 6 month aliyah anniversary, I co-hosted a party. Okay, lets all just digest that for a moment. I helped organized an event with lots of people in my apartment. Doesn't make sense to me either. Nothing too crazy happened. Except for the guy who asked when we were going to my room. And made comments about putting on his pants. And invited me to come over and get drunk and go home the next morning. Oh wait, those were all from the same person. (I said I wouldn't write incriminating things on facebook, not my blog.) I did enjoy myself, and not just at the breakaway party in my room. I'm not allowed to talk about that anyway. I'm always up for an excuse to wear my cape. Whacking people with my sword is fun too.
So while I had my usual party frustration of not being able to have real conversations with people I already only see once every three weeks or so, it was good noticing that I had actually become friends with most of the people in the room and actually felt at a loss for not getting to talk to them. It's a weird way of looking at things.
It was interesting to hear people's greetings about my 6 month aliyah anniversary. I got a few excited "HAPPY ALIYANNIVERSARY!" type of greetings, and then the somewhat more appreciated greetings of "I would say happy anniversary, but you know, we still all wonder what the hell we're really doing here." Along those lines, I was asked where I would be if I wasn't in Israel. My first thought is Georgetown or Silver Spring. I don't know how I would have ever afforded to live there (or anywhere for that matter), but I could have pretended I never really graduated college and not had to make new friends. Then I realized how weird it felt saying this to people who had recently become my friends. I will never have the same sort of "social happiness" I was extremely privileged to in college. I doubt I will meet too many people here who call me their BFF five minutes after meeting me. Then there's this weird feeling that when I become friends with someone here, it's like I'm indirectly replacing a friend back in the US who I might not see again for a long time.
Six months after boarding a plane that would take me to a whole new life, I still have really mixed feelings about this whole thing. I never for a second doubt my decision. There is no way I could ever ever ever doubt a dream I had for nearly ten years and then successfully fulfilled. So if any of you, anywhere, were wondering-- I don't regret a thing. And am I happy here? Depends. Ask me in five minutes and I might have a different answer. But that doesn't have to be a bad thing. Maybe the most important thing I've learned in six months is to disregard anything anyone tells me about living in Israel and think things over for myself.
Thank you to everyone who came to celebrate with us last night. It was awesome.
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2 comments:
Mazal tov! To many more "6 months".
"Maybe the most important thing I've learned in six months is to disregard anything anyone tells me about living in Israel and think things over for myself. "
This may be the most profound thing I've read or heard about aliyah to date.
I'm married (civil marriage) to a man from Israel. And without him, I am making aliyah to Israel. He tells me all the time... "Israel is like this. You can't do that in Israel. So and so won't talk to you. Israelis aren't nice to Americans." etc, etc, etc. It never ends and while he tells me one thing other people tell me something far different. And in the end I'm left to think that I don't know what to think. That's why your words are very profound to me... They are honest... I need to stop listening to others and figure it out for myself.
I would love to speak with you about Isreal. Please contact me at my aim Jewishprncess84 or at amy.e.foster@gmail.com
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