Now that I have been in Israel for three weeks, it is clear to me that there is many differences between Israel and America. To start off, the general personalities are very different. Israelis are more serious and strict than Americans who just seem to have fun and laugh in their life. These are obviously bluntly stereotypes, but for the most part it is true based on my experiences here so far. Israelis are way more mature than Americans and I think this is mostly because of the expectation to be grown up in time for the army. They grow up as kids knowing that when they reach the age of 18, they will be serving in the army for at least two years. This forces them to mature a lot faster, behave better, and respect authority. The army is serious, no joking around at all. They are put in life or death situations and are forced to know how to react in different situations. I think this is truly amazing and shows true bravery and strength. It doesn’t matter if you are on the front line, working in intelligence, or education, what matters is that these teenagers (same age as us) are ready to fight for their country and are very proud to do so.

On the other hand, Americans are quite the opposite, generally speaking of course. Our immaturity is what gets us into trouble, danger, and allows us to make irresponsible decisions. Growing up as kids, we learn to be nice to others, share our toys, and study in school. These are very beneficial topics, but this isn’t going to develop your bravery or courage in real-life situations. Americans’ main worry while growing up, is what college you will get into. We spend four (or more) years of our lives preparing to the best of our ability to get into the “college of our dreams.” We work extremely hard doing community service, getting leadership role in clubs, and making our application show an array of activities. Our focus is more about our future and how we can build the best life for our future families. The main difference between teenagers from Israel and America is their focus. Israelis are focused on protecting the rich, historic land of all the Jews and risking their life for this role; and Americans are focused on getting into the best college they can to set up a good life for their future. Neither of them is better than the other, it just is completely different customs in each country.

Another main difference between these two countries is that they have different mannerisms. Israelis tend to be very pushy, impatient, and have short tempers. Don’t get me wrong I think israelis are the best people on planet earth, but they do not have any manners. If you are standing in a line, so many Israelis will cut in front of you because they just don’t have any patience. In America, they have such good manners including: driving a car politely, waiting for your turn, and saying please and thank you. It just shows the differences between cultures because the drivers here, in Israel, are CRAZY. They do not stop for anything and they are so aggressive and restless. Again, it’s not one is better than the other, it’s just acknowledging that they have many differences.

I love both countries so much, and I admire both Americans and Israelis for their uniqueness. I love that I have this opportunity to be able to compare these two cultures, because most people are stuck being exposed only to their own culture. Being here for so long has made it clear to me that I want to do something combining these two countries in my future. I want to work with both of these countries to further relationships and alliances. Although there are many differences in these two countries, there are so many similarities which allows us to work well together. I want to be apart of this connection one day and dispense my love for each country to benefit each other.