What Language Do You Dream In?

I was speaking with my father on the phone the other day and he asked me if I was fitting in here in Israel and if I felt like an Israeli yet. I told him that I didn't and I stuck out like a sore thumb, a throbbing, sore thumb. He said to me, "Just wait, Liat, when you start dreaming in Hebrew, that's when you know you belong."

Last night, I had my first dream in Hebrew. Now, I'm not sure if it's because I talked about it with my father a few nights before and my brain was just doing its job, or if I really should feel like I belong. In all honestly, I feel more comfortable here than I did when I first arrived but I don't think that I can say that I feel like a native. There's still so much here that I'm not used to. Like, for instance, most people here act like they own the place (and it's because they truly feel like they own the place). They smoke and park wherever their heart desires and they don't say "please," "thank you," or "sorry." But they do speak from their heart; they say what they mean and they mean what they say. They're pretty harsh and everyone keeps telling me that they have to be that way in order to survive here.

Maybe I'll never behave or speak the way they do but I have come to admire and love this country. For she is beautiful, warm, energetic and full of attitude. Lately I've been thinking about what it would be like to live here permanently. I don't mean to startle my American friends! However, I feel that America is somewhat of a bubble. Life is easy there but when you're in America, you're on the America show and it's all America all the time. What I mean to say is that when you live in America you don't really concern yourself with what's going on in the rest of the world. While there is diversity in America, most cultures tend to stick with their own kind. But it's not like that here in Israel. Yes, most of us are Jewish but we come from all over the world and we don't segregate ourselves. That's my favorite thing about Israel (aside from the food).

So I guess I'm still not sure if I belong yet but i'm starting to feel more like it every day.

(oh, and don't forget to answer my question! What language do you dream in??)

TTFN XX