It's been over a year, and I'm still in Israel.  Things are going well overall, but I must say, I can't believe all of the changes and adjustments that I've gone through in the past year, or even in the past month.  Some semblance of stability would be nice, but I know that once I find my steady career and make a place for myself here, I'll feel even more at home than I currently do.  I wanted to reflect on some of the funnier adjustments of moving to Israel.

Until recently I would not normally leave the house with sunglasses, and in the United States I'm pretty sure there were stretches of years on end where I didn't even own sunglasses, but now I never leave home without them.  In Philly it's so often overcast or rainy that I would only wear sunglasses at the beach, or in the car while driving.  I don't know if my lack of sunshine in the states made me develop a sensitivity, but in any case I now never leave home without my sunglasses.

That picture is a lot bigger than I thought.  Anyway, I'm trying to think what else has been a uniquely Israeli experience.  Oh yes, hardly anyone has a dryer.  In the states I grew up with, and always had a clothes dryer, where here a lot of people, including myself don't.  Because of the warm weather (with the exception of Jeru) most people hang their clothes out to dry year round.  I don't mind saving on the electric bill, but oh how I miss the smell and feeling of warm clothes coming out of the dryer.  I guess I could wash my clothes at a laundry mat, but that would defeat the purpose of buying a washing machine.  In any case, I'm excited for the days when the cost of my electricity bill will not be an expense to stop me from buying a dryer.

It's not that living here for a year has made me realize everything that I miss about my old life in the states, it's just that sometimes I have to laugh about the ways in which my life has changed since I moved here.  That and I haven't written for a while, and I've felt guilty about it.  Plus I haven't come up with any new year's resolutions yet which is uncharacteristic, but I'm taking my time on it.  Last year I accomplished all five, so I'm taking my time to think about new resolutions that I can accomplish.  I'm feeling some writer's block, so I'm going to stop before this turns to true rubbish.