Since the Israel that we see as residents of this amazing country is unfortunately rarely portrayed in the mainstream international media, it leads many people to wonder, why in the world would we want to live here???
I watched this film last week and appreciated the perspective shared – it’s hosted by Dr. Ben Shahar, the extraordinarily popular Harvard professor who taught positive pyschology, who has been interviewed on numerous US news programs and at the pinnacle of success, made the decision to move back to Israel.
In this film, he notes Israel’s disproportionate success in the technological world (something that many have noticed), and discusses what he calls ‘actualizers’ that account for this success. This will give you a little peek into the ‘inside’ Israel that is part of what makes it the special place to live that it is.
http://www.israelinsidethemovie.com/widget/thevideo.php?s=297
Enjoy!
Avivah
It is rather common for returning residents and fresh olim to feel very excited about the Land of Israel in the first year. May you continue to feel excited about your new “old” home for the rest of your lives.
Thank you for the bracha, Moriah – I hope that Hashem will continue to help me see the positive wherever I am. I think in some ways moving to where I’ve moved has made it much more balanced – we don’t have the things that most new olim get excited about, so we kind of have to be happy living regular lives from the beginning.
In any case, I think what you wrote is true of most people in any new situation – it’s easier to focus on what you appreciate when it’s still fresh for you, before it begins to be something you take for granted.