A few months ago, I decided that I was going to spend the majority of my summer interning and living in Israel. Having never been to Israel before, I knew I was in for a culture shock. Moving from a suburb outside of New York City to the small New-Jersey sized melting pot that is Israel threw me completely out of my comfort zone.
It's been a little over 20 days since I've been here, and even though I do love it, there are quite a few things I miss about America.
1. American Money
Since the currency here is in shekels I am constantly doing conversions in my head when buying things. Grocery shopping has become a guessing game. I can't convert the price of every item to US dollars, so when I go to pay for my items I hope I'm not spending too much money.
2. Lines
Okay I don't actually miss standing in lines. But unlike Americans, Israelis don't really like to wait in lines, and will cut you if they feel like it.
3. Free Grocery Bags
No one bags your groceries for you here and you have to pay for the bags. Free grocery bags are a luxury I won't ever take for granted.
4. My Car
At home I can go anywhere because I have a car. Here, it's a different story. Public transportation is not the most reliable and taxis can be very expensive. When choosing between walking a mile to my destination or taking a five minute cab, I almost always choose to walk.
5. Crosswalks
The crosswalks here are more like lines of paint on the road than actual crosswalks, because a lot of people disregard them. I am not lying when I say I have almost gotten hit by a car or motorcycle four times in one day.
6. American Waiters
The waiters and waitresses at the restaurants here are nowhere near as attentive as they are in America. You have to ask for water refills and the check or you just won't get them.
7. Brunch
I've learned that brunch is just an American thing, because it doesn't seem to be as popular in other countries, especially Israel. There are definitely places to get a good brunch in the large cities like Tel Aviv and Jerusalem, but it's not as easy to find a place to get pancakes and bacon on a Saturday morning than it is in America.
8. Ice
The only time I've had an iced beverage here is when I've ordered a drink at a bar. Iced water is probably what I miss most about America.
9. Toilet Paper
Not all public bathrooms in Israel have toilet paper, which is why I always carry a small travel size pack of tissues with me wherever I go.
10. English
It's been over two weeks, and still the only sentence I know how to say in Hebrew is "I don't speak Hebrew." So when anyone tries to speak to me in Hebrew I either say this, or "English," and hope they understand me.
11. Qdoba and Chick-Fil-A
I went from eating Qdoba at least twice a week to not eating it for months, and I've gone over a month without living ten minutes away from a Chick-fil-a. Even though I do miss this food, it's easy to forget about the fast food in America when some of the best food I've ever eaten is here. Unfortunately schnitzel pitas and good hummus aren't as ubiquitous in America.
12. Lazy Sundays
Since the working week in Israel is from Sunday-Thursday, lazy Sundays spent sleeping in and regretting your weekend decisions does not exist here. On the bright side, Mondays aren't the worst day of the week and the weekend starts on Thursday night.
13. Eastern Standard Time
One of the hardest things about being abroad for the summer is the time zone. Israel is 7 hours ahead of the East Coast which is where my family and friends are. When it's the afternoon here, everyone is waking up in America. It's hard to coordinate times to talk to people because of this. I wake up to snapchats and text messages, but I know if I answer I won't get a response for another 8 hours or so.
14. Dryers
Doing laundry here is a lot more of a process than it ever was at college or at home. Warm weather all of the time means no dryers. It's nice to not have to worry that my clothes will shrink in the dryer, but if I wash something I have to wait at least a day to wear it.
15. My dog
I see cute dogs all of the time, but it doesn't make up for the fact that my dog is over 5,000 miles away. Petting a dog you see on the street for a couple minutes is a lot different than coming home after a long day and being able to pet your own dog.
I miss America and all of these things everyday. But there are a lot of things that Israel has that I don't have back home. This includes warm, sunny weather everyday and delicious mediterranean food.
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