As I enter 2018, I have a lot to be thankful for and a lot to reflect on. I’ve spent half my year in America, and the other half becoming Israeli. So in the spirit of keeping lists (see original list here), I’m giving you all my top 5.
Top 5 events of 2017: 1. Making my Pilot Trip to Israel (and making my final decision to move) 2. Finishing my Graduate Certificate in Data Analytics 3. Becoming an Israeli! 4. Finishing (and passing!) Ulpan 5. Finding a real Israeli job
Top 5 things to be thankful for from 2017: 1. A VERY supportive family and friend group as I transitioned halfway across the world 2. Becoming an Israeli! 3. Becoming best friends with my roommate and making two lifelong friends from my Ulpan, who have made my transition into Israeli life seamless. 4. Meeting and falling in love with my boyfriend, who continues to push me to be better every single day 5. The kindness of Israeli strangers
Top 5 ways I grew in 2017: 1. I became more go with the flow (thanks Israeli culture) 2. I became more independent 3. I became more comfortable outside of my comfort zone 4. I became more reflective on my own actions 5. I learned to take the bus (and only messed it up/got lost three times)
Top 5 things I appreciated about Israeli in 2017: 1. Everyone’s willingness to help with absolutely anything and everything 2. I can go to the beach in December and not be cold 3. They have the best hummus in the whole world 4. The lack of public transportation on Shabbat (I know…it seems counter intuitive to appreciate that, but it brings a nice peace to Israel each week) 5. The liveliness and vibes of Tel Aviv
Top 5 goals for 2018: 1. Continue to cross of Israeli list items 2. Pass Calculus (yes, I have to take Calculus 1, 2 and 3 from January-December) 3. Travel more (and blog about it more!) 4. Actively go after what I want more often 5. Learn Hebrew (aka be somewhere between my current abysmal level of Hebrew and conversational fluency)
Here are a few of my favorite moments from the past year:
Shana Tova everyone! I’m ready for ya 2018!