One of the things I love about living here, is that it’s not so far from home and also a holiday destination for many of my family and friends. This has proved very useful for getting those last few items from home that I didn’t think to pack originally. For example, interview outfits.
The majority of things in Tel Aviv are found on Facebook (apartments, jobs, advice etc) so I heard about this and joined lots of groups. Of course, if you are spending most of your day in a classroom the few jobs available are for short shifts, which don’t come with the best pay. So I decided to try and hunt for a job. I remember turning up to my first interview in London office attire and feeling so out of place! The atmosphere in this office was so casual and so different from what I was used to back home. I was offered the job, as well as some others I went for, but decided to turn them down, making learning Hebrew my priority whilst I had the opportunity. However, as time passed - and in all honestly, I’ve never been studious; I’ve always struggled with sitting in a classroom setting - the intensive ulpan started proving difficult for me; mentally and economically. I applied for more jobs and was offered interviews but didn’t get the jobs. I was extremely stressed as I prepared myself for a new journey.
Luckily, I wasn’t in this limbo for too long – I got offered my current job and left ulpan classes immediately.
Getting back into the working routine really excited me, I’ve always enjoyed working, meeting new people and learning a new job. My job is mostly in English, however the rest of the office speaks Hebrew and Arabic so am exposed to other languages and hopefully will learn Hebrew that way. The environment is very friendly and fun, which has helped me transition into ‘real life’ from what sometimes still feels like a very long holiday.
However, it is real life and as I had lived at the ulpan as well as studying there, I had to find a new place to live. Back to Facebook. I was desperate to live in the centre of Tel Aviv. I found the apartment pretty quickly and easily, and clicked with the other girls who lived there straight away.
Moving house without a car was a challenge, but another thing about living in a place that so many Jews choose to call their home is that a friend is never far away. After one stressed phone call to my best friend back in England, her dad who also lives here offered to help me!
After returning my keys, checking out of the Ulpan and filling my friend’s Dad’s car to the brim (you’d think that coming from an ulpan I wouldn’t have much stuff – not true! And I didn’t even have any furniture at this point…) I left the Ulpan and moved into my new apartment. The next day was designated an Ikea day, which again made me feel like I had lived here all my life. Although I needed friends to help me get to and from Ikea (a group of us rented a car and did all our shopping together) I was on my own for the furniture-assembly part. We arrived home close to 9pm and by 11.30pm everything was built - I had never realised how handy I was!
Unpacking all of my belongings into my new room was fun, exploring my new area and getting used to my surroundings was even better. And the bonus is that even though I no longer attend ulpan, I’m getting an education every day mixing with Israelis speaking Hebrew, olim speaking Hebrew, Israelis speaking English and me - speaking my mixture of English and tentative Hebrew!
