After being in Israel for two months now I have started to become accustomed to the new environment. Things are not the same as they are in my home in the US. For me I have had contact with Israelis my entire life because my entire family is from Israel. So things like the language and being very straight up and blunt don’t really bother me. It’s the small things that bother me most, having a different currency, different foods from home (not always a bad thing some Israeli foods are amazing) and not being able to read all the signs I see.

Sometimes you will see some things that will just absolutely shock you but to the people that live it’s just a part of daily life. For instance in the USA you don’t see minors just casually smoking cigarettes everywhere you go. It’s not just older teens but sometimes even children younger than me will just be walking down the road smoking. Another drastic difference would be the way Israelis see animals. In the USA if you see a homeless cat or dog it’s considered sad and something is usually done about it. But in Israel the amount of homeless animals you see is absolutely insane. Even on campus there at least 20 cats that you’ll just see walking around with a collar or anything of that sort.

There are so many positives difference as well. People in Israel are much less judgmental than they are in the USA. And because of this it makes it easier to ask questions about anything to anyone. They seem to be either friendly or extremely rude depending on who you talk too. In restaurants and stores everyone is extremely impatient which can be frustrating while being in a new country with a new language and culture. Also in Israel exercise is much more encouraged and keeping a healthy lifestyle is a part of daily life. An example of this is that breakfast usually consists of some kind of vegetables, eggs and bread. This is a far cry from the very sweet and sugar packed breakfast you see in the US.

Overall, the differences in Israel are plentiful but not too difficult to get used too. After being here for about a month things should start to not be surprising and just become a part of daily life.