Hello Yellow Brick Road

"Any idiot with a computer can blog..." - wise words from my dad.

Any idiot with a computer CAN blog - my dad was right and this idiot (or dumb Anglo as one woman called me at the dentist yesterday) is going on a journey down the yellow brick road.

Hellooooo Emerald City!

I feel lucky. I have a great husband, two amazing dogs, and one little boy that I would die for. I'm not sleep deprived. I'm well fed. I'm happy!

Me being happy.

Are you wondering what's wrong with me? Absolutely nothing.

I generally have a really good outlook on life and I often roll with the punches. When you live in Israel, there are often a lot of punches to roll with. As an immigrant, I'm always feeling like I'm trying to crawl out of some kind of hole. I never seem to make enough money. I never seem to have enough time to do anything. And I always seem to be stressed.


But I'm happy. I'm a happy idiot.

See? Happy Idiot.

I'm not the first blogger to blog about the trials and tribulations of living in Israel. I certainly won't be the last. I'm honest when I tell people that, yes, we are moving back "home". Here's the thing, I feel stuck between two countries. There's the country that I often love (and struggle to survive in) and the country I was born in where my family lives. Sometimes Israel doesn't feel like home. Sometimes the US doesn't feel so home-y either. I hate visiting Detroit because I know, at some point, I have to leave and say goodbye to my family. Saying "goodbye" is the hardest part.


I've been called an idiot a lot lately...mostly due to our decision to leave Israel. "You're an idiot for leaving!" "You're just like all of the other idiots - you take, take, take what Israel gives you and give nothing in return!"

I do give in return. I DO! I pay my taxes. I give to charity. My husband serves in reserve duty. I gave birth to an Israeli child! I work hard in this country and I don't always see a happy reward for working that hard. I may be an idiot for leaving but I am not an idiot who takes without giving back.

There is a new breed of Olim (immigrants) in Israel. We're the ones who DID give and decide to move on. We stand as representatives for everything that's amazing about Israel. We leave for many reasons: financial purposes; higher education; family. But we do give back. Many of us pay our taxes abroad (which is more than I can say for some Israelis living IN Israel who DON'T pay their taxes). We keep our health care options open by paying monthly to a fund we may never use. We are representatives who will gladly tell you what living in Israel is really like without glossing over the bad parts but we relish in the good parts that make this place paradise at times.

We are not idiots.

As a happy-go-lucky American living in Israel, I can safely say that most of my Israeli friends would take my US citizenship in a heartbeat. I can also safely say that if my family lived in Israel, I would probably never leave.

I'm on a new path and I'm following the yellow brick road in hopes that I find the Emerald City. I may find myself back in Kansas (or, in this case, Israel) but I will be the happy idiot who enjoys the ride along the way.

Remember: life's a journey, not a destination.