I've made it a month! 4 weeks ago today I was arriving in Tel Aviv - jet lagged, anxious, and ready to discover what exactly I had gotten myself into for the next 11 months. Each week thus far has felt like a kind of milestone; small steps on a much larger journey, but significant ones nonetheless. I've told myself that if I can make it one week, then I can make it two, if I can make it two, then I can make it three, until, finally, today, I tell myself that if I have made it for one month, I can make it for ten more.
The emotions that I have experienced during this time period have been wildly varied. I have had both highs and lows - times of elation and excitement, as well as times of panic and helplessness. The fact that I am here, in Israel/Palestine, for almost an entire year, still feels surreal to me - there are movements where I just sit with that thought and am in awe. Even though I am here, it doesn't quite seem real. And yet, even with this roller coaster of thoughts, I have not once wished to go home or doubted my calling to serve here. Quite the opposite, really - even in the moments where I have felt the most lost, on buses where no one spoke English, or walking in neighborhoods in which no one was dressed even remotely like me, I have still deeply felt like this is where I need to be.
There has been a lot of adjustment required, though. And I very much feel like I am still trying to settle in and find my bearings. I thought it might be interesting to create a list of 8 things that have been most surprising to me since arriving (not in any particular order):
1) You don't put toilet paper in the toilet here. Instead, you throw it away in a small trashcan placed next to the toilet. The sewage systems here are very old, and so it's a rare place that has plumbing capable of handling paper. This applies to bathrooms in houses, as well as public places.
2) Israel is a desert. I guess I should have known this, but for some reason the full reality of what that meant didn't occur to me. There is dust/sand everywhere. If you spend a day walking around in sandals, your feet will be covered by the time you get home. It really gives a whole new meaning to the biblical stories of washing feet.
3) Instant coffee is evidently a thing here. Like, a big thing. Nescafe is sold in practically every store. It's just a powder you add to hot water to make "coffee." Even though I only just started enjoying coffee about a year ago, I have come to really miss it while here. Thankfully, there are plenty of coffee shops that make delicious cappuccino and espresso. But I just never would have thought instant coffee would be so popular here.
4) Religious observances take on a whole new level of importance here. Even if you aren't religious at all, you still have to be aware of each of the three main faith traditions (Christianity, Islam, and Judaism), and what days each celebrates as their sabbath/holy day because on that day shops and businesses owned by people of that religion will be shut down. So, on Friday you can't eat at a Muslim restaurant, Saturday the Jewish shops are closed, and on Sunday most Christian places have shut down. This applies to public transportation too!
5) People drive crazy here. Honking is less like a spice added to a meal, and more like the main dish itself. Road signs are taken as suggestion, and both sides of the road are utilized whenever there's a traffic buildup. Almost every car has a handful of scratches and dents in it, and being a pedestrian can sometimes feel like a contact sport.
6) There is so much diversity here! It is so easy, in the U.S., to spend your whole life only around people who look exactly like you. That is an impossible task here. There are so many religions represented, so many different countries of origin. Walking down the street you're likely to encounter a variety of languages, accents, and ways of dress, all different from your own.
7) There are so many steps here. Land space is limited, so houses and
businesses are built up, and built down. Hills are everywhere as well,
which also contributes to the number of stairs everywhere. It definitely
isn't a very handicapped-accessible place to visit.
8) I have been able to find most products here that we have in the states. With the exception of two things: flavored coffee creamer, and root beer. Talking to other internationals, I've discovered that root beer is mostly an American thing - several Europeans had never even heard of it before! I have found myself missing both of these things, and they are at the top of my list of things to look for every time I encounter a new grocery store.
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There are plenty more observances and new things that I've had to begin regarding as normal, but these are just a few that stuck out to me. It will be interesting to see how my perspective on what is "normal" or not shifts and changes as the year goes on.
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