Moving to Israel

When my husband first asked me what I thought about the possibility of living in Israel, I was terrified because Israel is in an area of the world that is constantly in turmoil. I was also very excited because Israel is the Holy Land, and what Christian has not thought or dreamed about visiting there? However, visiting is the key word here, not in my wildest dreams did I think I would ever live there!

My husband and I had discussed living overseas at some point during his military career, and this opportunity would likely be the only time we’d get a chance to do it. So, he applied and interviewed and was selected to serve as the next National Guard liaison officer (LNO) to the Israeli Home Front Command in Ramla, Israel.

We left the U.S. late April, and after a brief stop in Stuttgart, Germany, we arrived in Tel Aviv, Israel early May.

We live in Herzliya, Israel and our home is about a half mile from the Mediterranean Sea. There are shops, restaurants, and parks all within walking distance!

Before our vehicle arrived, we were walking everywhere with our double stroller, although not very easily! It is hard to maneuver a double stroller anywhere! However, I do love how walkable the community is as a whole.

We love living in Israel so far and in many ways it is not too different from living in the US, except for the obvious language barrier and landscape. Most people do speak English (as a second language). The main languages are Hebrew, Arabic, and English. Most road signs are in these three languages. I do miss one stop shops like Target and Wal-Mart, but once you get used to where to go for things it’s not so bad (if the kids aren’t in tow).

Even though we’ve only lived here for 5 months, we have already done so much to help us acclimate…my husband started his job, our daughter started preschool at one of the local GANs (kindergartens), I joined the Diplomatic Spouses of Israel and a weekly Bible study group, we found a church to attend, and we even established a workout routine as a family (running on the beach in the evenings).

We have only been to a handful tourist spots so far like Apollonia and Caesarea National Parks, the Haifa Zoo, Safari Ramat Gan, and the Sea of Galilee. However, we do have 3 more years to get to everything else! Some of my top picks are the Dead Sea, the Jordan River, Eilat, Jerusalem, Ein Gedi and Masada.