“What is it like living in Israel? Don't you want to go home?” – Home?... Where is that? What is that? I'm sure everyone who is asked this question can and has something to say about it. Each of us has our own idea of home, a kind of homeland.
Often, it is the longing for what we have left behind.
What does it mean for us, Benjamin and me, living in Israel? We often talk about this topic, and there are many reasons for that. Often, it is the longing for what we have left behind. This includes our families, friends, houses, habits and much more. I, Alexandra, left my home when I was 18 years old, and Benjamin joined later.
I emigrated when I was 18, and it wasn’t really difficult for me at that time. The thirst for adventure in my luggage made the emigration exciting. I’ve been in Israel since 2000, a lot has happened since then. The more time passes, the greater is my longing for my former home.
Benjamin came to Israel in the year 2015 and I don’t envy him. He spent his entire childhood, youth and most of his life in his hometown, Germany. He has friends from kindergarten and his whole family is also based there.
He gave up everything to be with us. He sold everything he couldn’t take with him. He came to us with three suitcases. How do you reduce your life to three suitcases? Benjamin showed me how to do it. He said NO to many things because he said YES to us. We found it difficult to accept the fact that Benjamin comes to us, to Israel, and not we to him. I wanted to go home, back to my homeland. After more than 16 years in Israel, I was ready to go back.
But God had other plans for us. We all stayed in Israel. Despite the disappointment, we got involved. After the decision was made, God took away our disappointment and melancholy and we were able to start our future together.
We started building our new home together. We quickly realized that a copy of the home we know is not possible here in Israel. We live in a Jewish settlement as the only Christians, and we are the only Germans far and wide. The cultural difference is visible and sometimes gets in the way. We had to learn to adapt.
It helped us a lot that our children go to school. This gives us another opportunity to meet and get to know people. We are very open, which is a big advantage. With a smile, the ice is quickly broken.
“Home” – We who cherish our large families now know that we must build a new home for ourselves and especially for our children. Far away from the usual. And so, we are building a new, no less beautiful and secure home HERE.
Our new home is far from finished, but we are working diligently and tirelessly on it.
In this blog we talk about it about our friends, acquaintances, challenges and insights into our everyday lives. We will tell something from the past, our present and future plans.
Our new home is far from finished, but we are working diligently and tirelessly on it. It is an oasis, a place to recharge and regenerate, where we feel good. A place where everyone has room at our table. Where is a lot of talking and where everyone is heard. We love to cook delicious food together and laugh a lot. It’s never boring.
We are now a family of seven, but it can quickly become 12 people at the table. Children, friends, neighbors… everyone is welcome. Especially on warm summer evenings you will find us outside with delicious cheese and a glass of red wine.
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