About how I learned my lesson from an Israeli!!

One of my difficult adjustments to life in Israel for me was the spontaneous living. When I first got here, I wanted (like a true American) to make plans to go here, and go there, and when to see someone. You gotta plan, at least a few days in advance...

Slowly, but surely, I not only started adjusting to "hey, how are you? wanna have coffee now?" type of phone calls, but I learned to love them and appreciate them. What a lovely thing, to be sitting at home, working on X, Y, or Z which is great, and having a friend call and say "wanna walk over and have dinner with me?" And without even realizing, your whole evening went from 20 km of fun to 60!!

Spontaneous living got so embedded in me, that when I was in the states this summer, at the beginning friends would call on Monday to hang out on Thursday, and I could not commit, because, how will I know what I will be doing on Thursday!?!?!?!?! And we both laughed that I am becoming an Israeli!!

However, as I was being influenced by LA life, it got to the point that I was emailing back and forth with someone I wanted to see, that by the time "they could see me..." I was on a plane back to Israel.

So, when I got back to Israel, I did not realize the influence being in LA had upon me. Because I had no internet access, I spent a lot of time with the computer sitting on street benches, and parks etc. getting wifi from wherever. One afternoon, as I was typing away on my little laptop, a guy approached and asked if he could join me! This part is not that unusual!!!

We started chatting, and I told him how I am looking for a place to live, and I just got back from a summer in the states etc. It was great because we had a Hebglish chat and I got to wake up my brain back to Hebrew!!! So after a bit, he asked me, like a normal Israeli, "wanna go have some coffee!"

My reply, "how about in a month??" He looked at me like I had just landed from another planet!! I explained that I had an appointment to see an apartment in 45 min. and that I had a few more after that. And that I don't have a place to live and that I am starting work, and that I need at least a month to get my act together...sounds totally normal, right???

He replied... "I could be married in a month, I could be dead in a month, the world could be over in a month!" So, I laughed and realized how silly I sounded and how much I was influenced being in the states.

Right there and then, I decided to take my spontaneity back because it gives me so much pleasure!!

We had coffee, it was lovely, no, we are not getting married!! I'm not that spontaneous, though if it had been vegas...!!!!But I do now have a new Israeli friend...

So go out there and be SPONTANEOUS , it usually pays off........