Thursday, June 11, 2009

Warning: Emotional Girl Ahead...

This sucks.
As it gets closer to when I planned on leaving, it gets harder to be here...I had wanted to go at the beginning of July-- about a week before Etzion starts the summer session. That would have been the July 6 flight. And now I'm not.
I miss it...6 more months, that what I keep telling myself...but it feels like it's been 6 months for ages and ages...which it has...since I decided to push it off by 6 months! That doesn't change!
I don't get it...why do I miss it so much? I never missed NY this much when I was in Israel-- and I'm from NY!
I was interviewing somebody yesterday, and he said something about Israelis being tough. I said Americans aren't always so easy to deal with either. But then I said, "But Israelis will help you." And that's what it is. I miss the sense of family, of caring, of everybody looking out for you and being willing to help you.
One of the amazing things that I am discovering is that the second I identify myself as in the process of making aliyah, it's like-- "Mazal tov, when?" And then I ask a question and get answers and references...I mean, I went to get stuff translated and notarized. I was talking to the lawyer who did them (because in Israel only lawyers are notaries-- and the fees are insane, but that's another story) gave me the name and number of her friend who is a veteran olah and also an occupational therapist. I have somewhere around 10 occupational therapists that I am in touch with. I have met most of them once or maybe twice. And all of them, both the native Israelis and olim, are willing to answer any questions I have and give me other people to contact-- even the lawyer I went to for document translation and notarization says, "Oh, I have a friend who's an olah vatikah [veteran immigrant] who's an OT-- here's her name and number, call her." Really? That's amazing. It's a country made up of immigrants that did not exist 62 years ago.
People say, "You're making aliyah? From America? You crazy?"-- and they say this in English. Translated it means, "You're crazy-- welcome home, you'll fit right in to this place. When are you coming for dinner? [if you're single, this next sentence applies as well] I have a boy/girl for you."

It's a jumbled mix of emotions...hang on

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