After seeing countless olim come and go during my nine months in Israel, I felt I had to do something. I’ve always been a planner, and making Aliyah (immigrating to Israel, for the uninitiated) is the craziest thing I have done to date and also the best thing. Out of all my friends who are recent olim I feel like I’m among the happiest and most well-adjusted, and as I speak to many of them I am beginning to see a pattern of common mistakes new olim make. None of the solutions I am about to propose are mandatory and they might vary from person to person, but these are the things that worked for me.
Previous instalments: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9
Problem #10: Nothing is going my way ever.
Maybe you’re just stam sad. You miss home. You didn’t get that dream job you applied for. Your bus never came. You miss cheese fries. You have to retake an exam because your Hebrew wasn’t good enough. You have an Israeli friend but you don’t understand like half the things she says. This awesome guy you were dating broke things off out of the blue. Are you ever going to be happy in the holy land?
Solution: Always keep a positive attitude!
Your aliyah is what you make it to be. I know that sounds totally cliché and sometimes easier said than done, but it’s true. If you look on the bright side of as many situations as you can, if you approach Israel both aware of the bad things that might happen and at the same time happy when things go right, if you let your guard down and let yourself fall in love with this beautiful country, you’ll have a much better time. Positive thinking goes a long way here. Seek out opportunities. Admire the beauty. Focus on the good stuff. Choose to be happy. Instead of thinking about all the things you miss about your home country and hate about Israel, think of what you miss about Israel when you’re back in your home country. Instead of thinking about what you’re missing out on, think about the opportunities Israel brings, and what you have to gain by being here, which is so much more than simple materialism, and is definitely a more meaningful existence. So smile – after 2000 years of exile, you’re finally home! You’re living in the place your ancestors could only dream of, which so happens to be a vibrant and exciting country on its way up. Sometimes you just have to sit back, smell the roses, and take it all in.
