18 Months!

That's right, folks, we have been Israeli citizens for 18 months.  Thank you, thank you, please send money.  No, just kidding. 

This is how I can tell that we have adjusted:

• At stoplights, I start going when the light begins to consider turning from red to yellow+green
• The bills in my wallet no longer reminds me of Monopoly.
• I can feel the coins and know which one is a 10 and which is a 5 and which is a 1 - without staring at them for 5 minutes.
• I know that when it is time for my prescription refills, it is a 10 step process - none of that calling up and giving someone the prescription number that you wimpy Americans can do - and then having it delivered!  Nonsense!
• We no longer have to have an IV drip of Valium every time we drive somewhere - we have learned to depend on Waze
• I stopped trying to identify people's religiosity by what they look like 
• I have resigned myself to buying clothing that costs 3 times as much as in America, and has one tenth of the quality
• Cheaply made Israeli products don't seem so cheap to me anymore - like "Hmmm, that thinner than air plastic cup seems SO sturdy!"
• We turn the a/c off every day, keep the trisim down and the ceiling fans running.  It feels like we live in a cave but it's pretty comfy.
• We go out on our mirpeset every evening because it is cool and lovely - who in Baltimore wants to sit outside at night with the mugginess and the bugs?
• I make Hebrew mistakes that are beyond embarrassing, but got used to asking whether I've used the right word or not, and it doesn't bother me as much.

This is how I know we have a ways to go:

• We have identified 2 stores within a 25 minute drive where we can purchase white tuna
• I still panic before interacting with an Israeli
• The Hebrew sentences in my head, which are oh so perfect, have nothing whatsoever to do with the drivel that comes out of my mouth
• I still hate the Israeli potatoes and long for Idahos, [but I have discovered the wonders of Pireh - the boxed instant mashed potatoes]
• I cannot bring myself to buy Israeli cereals - it just doesn't feel right - I need to see that General Mills or Kellogg's or Post logo somehow - and hey, it only costs 3 times as much as Israeli cereal!
• I still cringe a little when there are sales ads that tell people that the sale is on "Shabbat only!" since there is no word for Saturday here. 
• I still make Hebrew mistakes that are beyond embarrassing.

And then here are the things that I still wonder at:

• We can go to Jerusalem, the holiest city in the world, whenever we want
• The scenery here is literally breathtaking - I can't believe I get to look at the Judean hills every single day - they are majestic and stark 
• The entire country prepares for chagim and other important days - there are even billboards that refer to the Three Weeks and Tisha B'Av
• The image of a guy with a kippah and tzitzit driving a truck/pumping gas/delivering mail - for some reason it makes me teary 
• My husband is planning to go on a trip to Har HaBayit (aka The Temple Mount) on Sunday - I think that's one of the coolest things ever.
• I love that the Israeli cartoons start having Shabbat music and cartoons about Shabbat on Friday afternoons
• When you drive around you suddenly see an archaeological dig on the side of the road near a construction site - oops, don't build that apartment building until we dig up the ancient artifacts!
• I am actually living in the land that God gave us to live in.  
• I know I live in a country surrounded by enemies that want to see us annihilated, and instead of being fearful, I'm fiercely proud.
• Will I ever stop embarrassing myself with Hebrew?

So there's a bit of a rundown.  All in all, the best decision our daughters ever made was to make aliyah, because that sort of made the decision for us.  18 months ago I could not have imagined what our new life would be like.

And now I can not imagine myself living anywhere else .