BIG Changes

I made Aliyah under the (incredibly wrong) impression that once I made this major life change everything else would seem like a piece of cake. Surprisingly and thankfully I have found the first almost full year (wow) to be smooth and calm and I really feel that I slipped into my life here with no adjustment problems. I moved into an area that I know very well and surrounded by friends whom I’ve known for a long time. During this year of Ulpan, my Hebrew has improved by leaps and bounds and I no longer feel bound by any form of language barrier. I have learned how to navigate the bureaucratic system with few traumatic stories, and above all else I really truly feel at home here.

The question next becomes “Which here do I identify as my home?” Jerusalem in particular or greater Israel in general? Unfortunately for me I have not explored as much of greater Israel as I would have liked by this point. That’s why I am freaking out about the major changes that are about to take place in my life. David and I are planning to move to Givat Shmuel (a city near Tel Aviv) so that I can study at Bar Ilan University and he can be close to his base and come home every day. Literally everything will change aside from the fact that I will still be in the same country.

I am getting married, I am moving to a new city, and I am starting at yet another new university. That is a lot to take in all at once and I am just blown away by how stressed I am about the changes. I really truly believed that I couldn’t possibly ever worry about changes in my life again. I guess I am starting to realize that monumental change in monumental change no matter how much change has come before it and as people we tend to cling to what we know and shy away from the trauma of getting to know something new.

Fortunately, along with my trepidation I am super excited. I CAN NOT WAIT to be married to David. The long engagement thing is really convenient in that we have plenty of time to plan and are giving our friends and family time to make travel arrangements. The long engagement also gives us time to adjust to the idea of being married for real, but at the end of the day 10 months feels like way too long. We are both so ready to start our lives together: we want to start building our own routine independent of anyone else, we want to set up our house, and most importantly we just want to be able to be together for real, for good. It will be great also to live in Givat Shmuel. Because of its proximity to the campus it is a haven for young people and as Bar Ilan is a relatively religious place there are a TON of young married couples who will be in the same situation as we are for us to socialize with. The base is also only 20 minutes away as opposed to an hour and a half from Jerusalem which will make our first few years together more pleasant because he won’t be commuting so much. I also can’t wait to start school. I have been waiting for years to finally decide what it is that I will study and just the knowledge that I have made the decision and been accepted to the program I want is a fantastic feeling! I will be getting a degree in Israel Studies and Archaeology as well as the government’s tour guide certification. I am so excited. I find the subject fascinating (obviously) and am so so so excited to learn. All of these changes are wonderful and thank G-d they are all happening and things are finally coming together for me, even if I have done things a bit out of order!!

p.s. I am also turning 21 in 11 days!! Crazy right?