It's All in a Name

Well here it is everyone- the much awaited blog documenting my adventures in Israel over the next (almost) 6 months.  I apologize for not starting this sooner but I wanted to get settled a bit, get my bearings, and figure out what I thought would be the best way to keep everyone up-to-date on my life here in Israel.  Also, I didn't want to start the blog until I thought of a cute/creative name for it.  So let me explain the name of my blog, Rachelle Chaya in Israel רחל חיה בישראל.  Most of you know that my name is Rachelle Anna.  My Hebrew name is Rachel Chaya רחל חיה which are the Hebrew names of my great grandmothers on my mother's side, Rose (whose name we later found out was actually Rachel) and Anna.  I found it fitting to include my Hebrew middle name, Chaya חיה , in the title of my blog because Chaya is also the present tense feminine singular form of the verb lichyot לחיות, to live, be alive, exist.  Though this is not the verb we commonly use in Hebrew to describe where one lives or resides (lagoor לגור), I find that the verb lichyot more appropriately describes what it is I will be doing here in Israel.  I am not just residing here; I am really living here.  This isn't just a brief vacation where I will constantly feel like a tourist; I am here for almost 6 months, living, working/interning, learning and speaking the language, shopping at the grocery stores and malls, using public transportation, and truly immersing myself into Israeli culture and day-to-day life.  Or at least that's the plan.  


Though most of you already heard my reasons for embarking on this journey, I wanted to briefly explain to all of you why I felt the need to pick up my life in New York, quit my job, move out of my apartment, and come to Israel for 6 months.  Israel has always been a special place for me.  I was lucky enough to spend 6 weeks here when I was 16 through Young Judaea's Machon in Israel program.  Being an active member of Young Judaea, I considered myself a Zionist and always felt connected to Israel both before and after I was able to visit.  As I was approaching the college application process, I wanted to take the next step and spend a year in Israel on Young Judaea's Yearcourse program, however my parents would not let me due to safety concerns and probably a bunch of other reasons.  Then when I was in college, I wanted to study abroad in Israel.  Again, my parents would not let me due to safety concerns.  I don't mean for this to be a place where I express how bitter I am that my parents wouldn't let me do those things because the truth is, had I been able to take advantage of either of those opportunities, I may not have had the same experiences that I had since then such as going to Cornell & NYU, meeting the people with whom I've made lasting friendships, studying psychology and social work, living in NYC, or even being in Israel today (you get the picture). 


In July 2009, I took advantage of a wonderful opportunity to return to Israel through Livnot U'Lehibanot's Galilee Fellowship.  I spent an amazing 2 weeks in Tsfat (a northern city in Israel) doing community service, hiking through beautiful and historically significant land, and reinforcing my connection to both Israel and Judaism.  I never dreamed that after waiting 9 years to return to Israel, I'd be able to go a second time in less than a year.  In April 2010, I participated in a trip sponsored by the World Zionist Organization- A Journey through Herzl's Footsteps.  We followed the footsteps of Theodor Herzl, the father of Zionism, through various cities in Europe and of course ended in Israel.  I had another amazing experience and yearned for more time in the wonderful place we refer to as the Holy Land. 


The final push came at the end of this summer when I was reminded of how precious life really is.  Not so thrilled with my job and upset over a recent dating situation that ended badly, something happened that put everything into perspective.   A family friend passed away unexpectedly.  This situation hit me hard for many reasons; it was a tragic situation and it reminded me of the loss of both my aunt and uncle when I was in high school.  I realized that each of us has no way of knowing how long we have on this earth nor how long the people in our lives will be around.  I decided for myself that I did not want to have any regrets in life, miss out on opportunities, nor remain stuck in situations that made me unhappy.  I decided to celebrate the fact that I am alive and make my dream to spend an extended period of time in Israel a reality. 


So here I am, Rachelle Chaya in Israel--רחל חיה בישראל--Rachelle LIVING in Israel!