israelis

for better or worse, marrying an israeli means learning from the very beginning the quirks and cultural differences between americans and israelis.  and this difference in only magnified when family and friends visit the US... especially if it is for the first time.  in the last month we have had 7 people stay by us, and 3 more will be coming after baby.  its been an interesting preparation for aliyah.

what i have discovered is that things i can laugh off in israel bother me here in the states.  For instance, israelis HATE to plan in advance.  out of the three groups that have come to visit only ONE did not change their plane flights, and this was a first for them too.  in Israel this doesnt bother me so much... because thats what everyone is doing.  here in the US, when its expected to plan dinner (not to mention its harder to find kosher food, so its needed in advance...) it drives me CRAZY when israelis push off making plans.  just decide already!  make your plans around it if you have to... but this seems to be impossible for a large percentage of Israelis.

there are many other things, but some I am hoping are just personality traits of these specific people.  at least its been a good practice with getting used to israelis 24/7...  its def something that takes time to get used to.  still, its fun in the end, once i learn to relax and let some of my 'american ways' go...