Ten things I love about Israel, now that I’ve lived here two years…

Ten things I hated about Israel when I first got here…

1. Everybody spoke in a foreign language

2. People cut in line

3. People push to get everywhere – the bus station, the bus, the bank

4. Taxi drivers drive like lunatics

5. In Jerusalem there are people begging for money everywhere, including the restaurant while you are eating.

6. It’s hard to make a living here

7. It’s hot

8. Light switches on the outside of the room, especially the bathroom

9. Everything is expensive here

10. Water is scarce

Ten things I love about Israel, now that I’ve lived here two years…

1. Everybody still speaks a foreign language, but now I understand a little more of it

2. People still cut in line, but now it’s a game

3. People still push to get in line – nothing good to say about that.

4. Taxi drivers still drive like lunatics, but they are the best ulpan teachers in the country!

5. Israelis are the most generous, giving people in the world, and if you find yourself stuck at the bus station with no money to get home, all you have to do is ask – they’re used to it.

6. It’s so hard to make a living here that people do whatever they have to do, and there’s no shame in it. In a community full of hi-tech people you may have neighbors who take in ironing, bake challah and Shabbat kugels or sewing to make ends meet, and everyone is fiercely loyal to support their neighbors before going elsewhere.

7. You never have to worry about scraping ice off the windshield before going anywhere

8. Light switches on the outside of the bathroom means that when your teenager is taking too long playing a video game or reading a book while on the pot, you can turn off the light and annoy the heck out of him.

9. Cucumbers are the only thing in Israel that is not expensive. Thank G-d for cucumbers!

10. “Water is scarce, that means we all have to conserve,” sounds much better than, “My lawn is dead because I am scatter-brained and keep forgetting to water it” or “You mean you’re supposed to bathe more than twice a week?”

It’s all just a matter of perspective, now isn’t it?