"Let's Talk in 3 Months"

Since we landed in Israel we met several friends of ours. Some have lived in the US and returned several years ago. Some never left Israel. They are all happy to see us back in Israel, and wish us all the best. They ask how we’re doing, and how is our adjustment coming along. And when we say that things seem to go quite well, many nod their heads and say – “we’ll talk in 3 months”…

What’s this mysterious 3 months period? What is supposed to happen in these fateful 3 months? Will we discover that life is Israel is not what they seem to be? Will we realize that some of Israel neighbors seek its destruction? Will we discover that Israeli politics is convoluted, fragmented and borderless dysfunctional? Or will we suddenly realize that gas prices are more than twice as high as in the US?

When we lived in California, we subscribed to a satellite TV channel called…”The Israeli Network”. It broadcasts a mix of Israeli TV programs and news reports. I will not be exaggerating if I say that we watched more Israeli TV than American TV over the past couple of years.

Getting the daily doze of Israeli news has been a good “investment”. We feel quite abreast of the local events here. Yes, I do realize that we will go through an adjustment period. You don’t live in California for almost 20yrs, then move to Israel and immediately feel at home. Sure, there will be things that we need to adjust to. But there were things we needed to adjust to in the US as well.

So what’s with this ominous phrase of “we’ll talk in 3 months”? Why do our friends feel that some form of harsh reality will sink in sooner or later?

I don’t think so… Sure there are, and will be plenty of challenges. But not of the kind that our friends predict. It won’t be the lack of Costco that will drag us down. Nor will the local political scene, or the statements from across the border.

Our challenges come from a much closer source – like missing our middle son who chose to stay in California. Or finding adequate replacement to the house we loved in Cupertino. And it will take more than 3 months to resolve those…

No need for us to wait 3 months in order to gain a profound realization about life in Israel. It is a journey. It is an adventure. As I once explained to our daughter – adventures come with challenges. It is part of the package. Otherwise they would be called vacations….