Friday, December 02, 2005

Are you really becoming Israeli? Will I???

Hi there Blogworld! I hope you'll welcome me to the land of bloggers. I am not a journalist, not a writer, but I have been known to have the family "gift of the gab!" I've been reading other blogs for a while now, and I'm finally taking the plunge.

So why blog? I'm not exactly sure myself, I just know that I have enjoyed reading other people's experiences as they've taken the big plunge themselves and are acclamating into Israeli society. Or are you?

So this leads me to my first real thought, question, pondering issue: Do those of us who leave everything behind to follow the dream of making aliyah EVER become truly acclamated into Israeli society? How long does that take, and if it doesn't happen, is that so horrible? What sorts of things help you to feel more Israeli on a day to day basis, and what sort of things make you really feel out of place?

My kids will be 5 and almost 3 when we make aliyah. I know they will grow up as Israelis. My husband himself is Israeli, made aliyah with his family when he was a boy (yes, the laws are still living in EY..eretz yisrael), so he will only strengthen his "Israeliness."

But what about me? Will I always be the "American" on the block, the "American mom", the "American wife," the "American co-worker"etc. ?

My head is filled with these kinds of thoughts these days. We go to a Nefesh b Nefesh pre-aliyah seminar next week, then meet with our shaliach 2 weeks after that. I look forward to sharing with you, and look forward to hearing your comments as well! Thanks in advance for welcoming me into Blogworld!