08/05/2017
Eli Rudee on living where you feel the "belongingness"
But in all seriousness, for some friends, it was difficult to understand why I would move outside of the country in which I grew up. My parents told me that when they were my age, nobody would even think to venture past the local university, let alone move to another continent half across the world. I would be the first of my family in four generations to immigrate, and even my great-grandparents had war as an excuse.
When I told the rest of my friends and family about my move, I received many awkward reactions. Some told me how “lucky” I was. Others asked if I was scared to move to another place without any family there.
Lucky? It’s not luck that I’m moving– I’m just doing it! “You can do it too if you want!” I insisted, but they would usually just giggle uncomfortably as if there were too many things holding them back to even think about it.
Scared? To me, what was scarier was following a pre-determined path of getting a job, apartment, and settling down at age 23. If I didn’t follow my heart and I ended up regretting it on my deathbed– that’s what would be truly scary.
So I moved. I’ve been living in Israel for a year and a half now with the conviction that this is where I want to be, and of course, if that changes, I can move elsewhere. But nothing ventured, nothing gained.
And it’s been amazing. I am happy feeling in control of my own destiny and triumphs. Even though the honeymoon stage has somewhat diminished, I continue to find meaning everywhere I turn. I’ve found life-long friends, developed my career as a journalist, learned a new language, and had some unforgettable experiences. People always tell me that I am one of the greater “success stories” of those who have immigrated to Israel.
Of course, it’s often challenging. Many people come, but not everyone stays, because Israel (or any place for that matter) is definitely not for everyone. My boyfriend doesn’t love it as much as I do. I’ve been suffering from a very painful back injury for nine months. Sometimes the Israeli bluntness that I found cute at first decreases my morale. I still can’t communicate fluently in a group of only-Hebrew speaking friends, and it’s frustrating. And when everything closes on Friday night and all I want to do is go out, it’s annoying.
But ultimately, I flourish here in Israel and although I dream to travel the world, stepping out of my comfort zone even further, I know I will always have a base in Israel. Dear girls of the world: live where you flourish, even if it’s not where you grew up. The world is too big to be limited– your dreams and desires are much too big to be limited!
So go catch the Israel Bug, the English bug, Spanish bug, Brazilian bug, or whatever bug sparks meaning in your life.
