This is a guest post by Emma from The Go To Handbook
After a wonderful 6 year relationship with my now-fiancé, he broke some life-changing news. He wanted us to move to his home country, Israel, to continue his education and see his family.
At first I was shocked and, quite frankly, a little scared.
I thought of all the reasons I shouldn’t go. I seemed to be the exact opposite of Israel in every way it was described to me. I was told that Israel made you feel close to God. I’m an atheist.
I read forums that said Israeli’s were refreshingly outspoken. I came from an English family, more specifically a British Royal Air Force family, whose motto was “if you can’t say something nice don’t say anything at all”.
Then there was the tiny problem that I didn’t speak a word of Hebrew.
Selling Bread in Jerusalem
So, I guess it came as a shock to my friends, family, and co-workers when I announced I would indeed be going on this crazy venture.
I was tired of looking at copies of National Geographic on my couch, wasting away while I waited to save up enough money to go on a 5 day vacation once a year.
I sold all of my belongings, saved up as much money as I could, bought a copy of “Hebrew for Dummies”, and got on a plane.
Before Jerusalem Came IKEA
My fiancé had gone ahead of me to make preparations. Everything was completely set up save for one item: my pillow. His family had decided a pillow is a deeply personal choice that I should make myself.
That’s how IKEA came to be the first place I saw in Israel.
Freshly Squeezed Pomegranate Juice
Funnily enough, this usually mundane shopping trip created an excellent parallel between America and Israel. To start, there were two security checkpoints to get into IKEA. I’d never encountered such security for a store whose top sellers were meatballs and sofas.
The IKEA experience was representative of most public places. The same system was in place whether we went grocery shopping, to the movies, or to a museum. There were soldiers with guns just about everywhere and the vast majority of them appeared to be under 20 years old.
Security was on everyone’s mind.
At first I was taken aback. I started to wonder if all the things my overly protective mother said were true. Was my life really in danger?
Rosh HaNikra
Seeing Past the Differences
These initial discoveries disheartened me. I hated violence, conflict, and the absence of political correctness in conversations. I began to think I’d made a huge mistake in choosing to live somewhere where I was such a misfit.
The language barrier only intensified the feeling. I couldn’t even go to the supermarket alone because I didn’t understand what was written on the packaging. I tried to go by pictures but I always ended up with odd items like soy ice cream or sour cream instead of yogurt.
There are Cats EVERYWHERE
I think my future family anticipated these feelings. They organized a big outing my first weekend in Israel with my fiancé’s English speaking brother and sister and their friends. They chose the most appropriate place to take me: the fabled location of the Garden of Eden.
Garden of Eden
I had arrived in the heat of summer and had begun to think that Israel was void of much greenery and water. I was soon proven wrong.
Beautiful waterfalls and ice-cold ponds formed from melted glaciers grew beautiful forests around us. I could understand why someone walking for miles in the hot desert a thousand years ago would consider this place paradise. It was shade in the burning sun and cool water in a relentless and dry heat.
Jerusalem held just as many surprises. I don’t believe in God, but I discovered that I still felt a connection with the ancient city despite it. I loved hearing the stories surrounding each site, the feel of the labyrinth-like stone streets, thinking of all those who walked down these same paths thousands of years before me. It was a city that seemed untouched by time.
Jerusalem
When the summer heat had subsided we traveled down to Eilat, the southernmost point of Israel. I had been snorkeling many times but had never seen fish in the quantity and variety as I saw them in the Red Sea. It was like diving into an aquarium.
I’d never associated Israel with water before but after living there I can’t imagine why all I had anticipated was sand. Then there was The Dead Sea.
The water looks icy from the huge quantities of salt but feels hot and oily to the touch. This may sound a little obvious but you actually float! It’s an incredible experience that almost like your flying and leaves your skin feeling amazingly smooth.
The Verdict
I’ve realized that it’s not the modern monstrosities that I should be focusing on, the guns, news reports, or political controversy. Israel is so much more than that; it’s better than just being written off as a land of conflict.
I’m happy I was given the opportunity to see what’s beyond the media and political interpretations. It’s a land of wonder, unbelievable natural beauty, and history that seems to be alive even today.
The Red Sea
I don’t know if I will ever consider it my true home but I do know that it is a small country that I grossly underestimated. I hope that others will explore it with an open mind and traverse the desert, dive in the water, be out of your comfort zone, and eat lots of hummus.
Where have you traveled to that truly surprised you?
Bio: Emma Moody is an avid traveler and writer who lives by the motto “Anticipate. Adapt. Adventure”. All of her travel writing stems from first-hand experiences and inspires her blog The Go To Handbook which covers everything from how to decipher a menu in a foreign country to stories of travel mistakes and how to learn from them.
Her trip to Israel is what finally pushed her to make travel writing a career and leave the boring desk job behind. She has been traveling the world ever since and loves it. Don’t forget to follow her on Twitter!
What a neat story! It must’ve taken so much courage to give up everything and move to Israel. I love that they set everything up but let you get your own pillow, haha! And such a cute kitty!!!
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I couldn’t believe that after selling everything and making such a bold move his family thought I would be bothered if I didn’t choose my own pillow! It was really a sweet gesture on their part and I appreciate it so much. One of the biggest surprises when I got there were the cats. Instead of pigeons everywhere they have cats (and I suspect one directly effects the other). Thanks for commenting, Laura!
Emma recently posted..Become A Multi-Purposer
Wow, I have a lot of respect for you! I would have been nervous about Israel for the exact same reasons you were, but it sounds like you are really trying to make the best of it. I can’t wait to see follow up posts on your Israel adventures!
I’m so thrilled to see all the positive feedback about my experience! Thank you so much, Ana. I’ll have to put together some stories from Israel. I get myself into such embarrassing situations (as much as I try I’m still a fish out of water) but they’re the kind of memories that I’ll remember and cherish for the rest of my life. Plus everyone seems to enjoy laughing at my awkwardness in Israel including myself!
Emma recently posted..Become A Multi-Purposer
This is a really fantastic guest post. I’ve always been interested in visiting Israel, but never really living there for the same reasons described here. It’s amazing what impact a positive attitude and open mind can have, though.
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Thanks Christy! I hope you get to visit one day, I think you’ll be pleasantly surprised like I was. You hit the nail on the head: a positive attitude and open mind make all the difference!
Emma recently posted..Become A Multi-Purposer
I was able to visit Israel a couple times this year, and it definitely wasn’t enough. Thank you for pointing out the country’s geographic diversity and suggesting new locations for my list.
I was so surprised by my trip to the West Bank. I expected to feel some hostility and want to hide the fact that I’m American, but instead was repeatedly engaged by gentle, shy-English-speaking people with a very strong grasp of U.S. geography who wanted to learn all about where I was from. And would you believe that the preferred currency for large transactions is the U.S. dollar? Everything from apartment rentals to auto sales are priced with in greenbacks. It’s just another example of how far our preconceptions can deviate from reality.
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I still haven’t ventured down to the West Bank but I’ve been just about everywhere else. It’s such a small country but I swear sometimes we’ve landed on a whole different continent when we drive up north to the greener areas. One great thing about Israel (for me anyway) is that there seems to be a lot of warmth towards Americans. I think Israelis are warm in general but as my future father in-law says, “we’re like cactus fruit, prickly on the outside but sweet on the inside”.
Emma recently posted..Become A Multi-Purposer
Gosh that is so very brave! I am not sure that I could ever get out of my comfort zone to travel to a country and discover so much beauty! I love that you went ahead and travelled to Israel. Amazing how much there is to one country, yet all we hear and see is about the dangerous side of it.
Would you stay there with your boyfriend and accept his way of living?
Cheers
Lisa
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Hey Lisa,
I’m happy to be able to share the beautiful side of Israel because I don’t think a lot of people have the opportunity to see it.
I live in Israel for about 8 months of the year, the rest of the time I spend traveling to other places and the US for a few months to celebrate the holidays.
I try to blend in as best I can with his family but there are still so many things that I continue to struggle with. I don’t think I’ll ever get used guns being everywhere but there are little things that are so ingrained in me that it’s hard to change.
For instance, I was always taught to not pick my teeth at the table but in Israel it’s considered good manners to end the meal by picking your teeth with a toothpick. I still cover my mouth when I do it! Of course everyone laughs at me but I can’t help it!
Emma recently posted..Become A Multi-Purposer
I so agree with you! When I first went to Israel (for work and a vacation afterwards), I was nervous too. But boy, was I pleasantly surprised! It’s beautiful country, rich in history&culture, varied in landscapes, and (also not unimportant), where you can get wonderful food.
Actually living there is of course something else. (not that I’ve tried, but I found it not the easiest society to blend in and felt a bit left out among colleagues I had there, being the only non-Jewish person).
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Wow, what a lovely post!
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Wow, that is a big change. Good luck and enjoy it as much as you can.
I love the honesty of your post, it’s hard to imagine how life in Israel is.
I do would love to visit Jerusalem some day, it’s hard to imagine that one place can have such an effect on 3 different religions!
It is very common to be afraid of the unknown, I had the same experience 11 years ago and I went from South America to Israel for the same reasons. I lived in Israel 7 years and I really can say that Israel is a country that you can love and hate at the same moment (even the same day!) but I have learned there every day so many valuable things that I thank the life to giving me the change to visit such a magnific place and to learn and to adapt to their culture. I owe to Israel many many beautiful things, but the best things on life are not for cowards, and Israel is a country that makes you stronger, so ¨col ha cavod lach¨ for following your feelings and to adventure yourself to learn and discover inspite od the world ignorance and the biased media. Shalom!
Speaking as an Israeli, Great post Emma!, I Think that your “Before” and “after” thought of Israel really reflect what most people thing of Israel..
I loved to see that you were suprised by it, and i hope you will inspire others to come and visit!
Shalom!
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Nice post! I’ve always been so excited to see Israel and your post really got me more excited for our trip there in the coming year! To answer your question, I was very surprised with Montenegro. I accepted to go for an internship before even knowing where it was on a map! But I discovered a small Balkan country full of amazing landscapes with people that are extremely proud of their new country!
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