It's been a year since I graduated from UW-Madison, and began my internship with the Madison Police Department. (Still can't believe I spent three months of my life raiding bars, going on drug busts, and riding in a cop car down State Street). If you asked me a year ago where I think I'd be today, I'd say looking for jobs in Washington DC. If someone were to tell me I'd be making Aliyah and establishing myself in Israel, I'd think he/she was crazy. These past several weeks have been incredibly stressful for me. It was/is hard to concentrate fully on my classes knowing that at the end of the program I will be homeless, and unemployed. Thankfully I found an awesome apartment in the center of Tel Aviv for the summer, and cannot wait to move in!
The job search has been ... no words. It's unbelievable how different the job market functions here. I've applied to a couple jobs already, and all have told me I'm applying way too early. They tell me to resend my CV 2 weeks max before I'll be able to begin working. It's hard for me not to have a secure plan for the next couple months, but life is much more in the moment here.
Another stressor has been the fact that I've been studying (spoken) Arabic for the past 5 months (past 5 years if you include written Arabic), instead of Hebrew. I live in Israel, and speak at a basic level. Thankfully, I find Hebrew much easier to learn than Arabic. I have already picked up a lot considering I only had 2 weeks of formal instruction, which took place over two years ago.
Although I may sound like a complete stressball, I'm surprisingly calm :). Thankfully the pool opened on the Kibbutz, and it is phenoms (Definitely the hidden gem of Barkai). I have made the most amazing friends since I've been here, and am ecstatic that 4/7 people on my program are staying for at least the next couple months.
I also have a lot to look forward to in the next couple weeks; I have several good friends coming to visit, and my parents just booked their trip to come see me. It's weird knowing that I won't be going back to FL before I "start my life" here. I'm at the point where I don't know what to call home anymore. I was born in Canada, but lived in California until HS, but now my family lives in FL.
It's crazy to think that in less than three weeks I will be living in TEL AVIV. I guess I won't be taking daily walks by cows, tractors, and haystacks.
I am so thankful for the experiences I've had, and incredible people I've met these past several months. What's ahead... I guess ..נראה
J
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