Things To Get Used To In Israel

There are lots of amazing things about Israel. Some of them take some getting used to. No, I'm not talking about how everything shuts down from Friday night to Saturday night for Shabbat (although that is pretty awesome and took some getting used to) or how nachos at a kosher bar taste awful with soy-based cheese sauce (only tried that once...when a kosher place serves meat, don't try the fake cheese). Over the last month and a half, there are some things that we have had to get used to. Some are good things, some are more challenging.

• A "dude mayim" is a hot water heater. In Israel, boilers are not constantly on. Instead, you just turn them on when you need them (or when it's too dark out to get solar power). This means that if you want to take a shower in the morning during winter, you have to get up about half an hour before you actually want to get up so that you can turn on the water heater. That's been an adjustment.
• Everyone uses their car horn all the time. Israelis are impatient. And their excessive use of their car horns makes for a LOT of noise pollution. You just have to get used to it.
• In the US, when you visit someone, they say, "so when are you going to visit again?" In Israel, when you visit someone, they say, "so when are you going to move here?"
• Produce is SUPER cheap in the Shuk. And other things, like cereal, are SUPER expensive.
• Blinds in Israel go on the outside of the window and completely block out light. That has been awesome. In our San Diego condo, I could never sleep past 8 or so because of the light, no matter how late I went to sleep. Here, I can sleep until I wake up. So much better!
• Being subjected to a security search before entering anywhere and being asked if you have a weapon nearly every time.
• Grocery store carts have lateral movement on all four wheels (like at Trader Joe's).
• When you check out at many stores, they ask if you want to purchase items for tzadakah (in this case, it's best translated as "charity").
• And you bag your own groceries.
• Cottage cheese comes in very small containers. You can't even get more than an equivalent of a single-serve of yogurt.
• If you order coffee, it's going to come with milk. "Drip" coffee is nearly impossible to find. All coffee beverages at restaurants are espresso based (Americano, etc.) or made with instant coffee (which is much better here).
• Kitchen knives from here suck. We're really glad we brought our own.
• One of the most fun games to play is "Tourist Group: Jewish or Not?"
• The system of pedestrian traffic lights works so much better than in the states. When the walk sign is green, you can walk. When it's red, you shouldn't. No flashing, no counting down. It also helps that most cross-walks only go half way across the street at a time. So even if you've started walking across the street, you can easily make it to safety off the road.
• Most bathrooms in homes don't have locks. And the light switch is outside the door. It's weird.

Of course, this is not a comprehensive list. Israel is an incredible place. It just takes some getting used to.

If you've lived here, what were things that you had to get used to? Let me know in the comments!